Smartphone Slit Lamp Photos...
Hi All,
Just wanted to share some tips for smartphone slit lamp photos. Curious to hear if anyone else has some tips on getting good photos. Here is a video breakdown too:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYNot92iuEB
1. Turn on the Room Lights
I've found the sensor can have a hard time adjusting exposure as the oculars come in and out of focus. Turning the room lights on seems to improve this for me.
*Edit* TheGhostOfBobStoops suggested turning the lights off and lowering the slit beam to the lowest brightness possible. I think this sounds like a great alternative (basically both techniques are trying to minimize the difference in brightness between the slit lamp beam and ambient brightness.
u/dilateddrama suggested lumination system on the extreme temporal side to minimize the corneal reflection
2. Use a Diffuser
If you just want to take a quick image to follow lets say the size of an ulcer, using the diffuser can really help. You can also use scotch tape in a pinch.
*Edit* BigJarsh91 suggested taking out the plastic mirror in the slit lamp and flipping it around can also create an impromptu diffuser.
3. Brace with your 2nd Hand
I see some people press the phone directly onto the oculars. I've found bracing the phone with your 2nd hand maybe an inch away from the oculars is easier.
4. Lock the Main Camera
Probably the biggest problem people have is not locking the camera. I've seen people tap the 'flower' button to lock the macro mode into place. But ideally you want to lock the main camera. You don't need the macro sensor if photographing through the ocular, you just don't want the phone switching between cameras as the oculars go in and out of focus.
5. Use Burst Mode
You want to take a burst of photos. In a pinch you can also record with video and grab screenshot. Both are much easier than just taking a single photo.
6. Crop the Photo
I find it looks much better if you crop out the content outside the oculars.
What do you all do when taking photos? Any good tips I missed?