Photography - equipment, help hints

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

 

[GrauGeist]

The image stabilizer is like a little motor moving the assembly to compensate for subtle camera movement. If you have the camera static (on a tripod or firm surface like a car's rooftop, brickwall, etc) the camera is no longer in motion while the image stabilizer is...thus you run the risk of a slight blur.

I only turn my OS/IS on when I'm about to shoot, leaving it off the rest of the time to conserve battery power.

 

[Hotntot]

ok here's some questions from a complete duffer !

i'd like to use the manual settings more on my Fujifilm s1000fd

so when i put it in manual mode i can change shutterspeed aperture, it reads F6.4 and will go as low as F2.8 what does that mean and what do the changing values do ?
...l

Found this below to look further at depth of field which will be really important in helping to get the best out of photographing your models, in that once you're happy with how it works you'll be able to 'pull out' specific parts of a model if you want - throwing the background (and foreground in a really narrow depth of field) out of focus - so excluding any distracting elements such as unwanted background detail or prehaps just having a suggestion of a background without it being in focus - so pulling the eye away from the main subject. Of course, the whole thing is going to be much more managable on a tripod when going for slower shutter speeds or higher apertures (lower f-stop numbers). As a general rule anything below 1/60 shutter speed is going to need a tripod, although a steady hand (leaning against or resting on a wall / box /cushion etc) is doable. Stating the obvious - available light is, of course, going to greatly effect what combination(s) you can get.

Anyway, here we go...



1) Exposure -

As aperture sizes get smaller (numerically bigger!) from left to right shutter speeds getting larger - longer.

So, on the left is a combination of full aperture f1 and a short shutter speed of 1/000 second. At the far right you progress through to the smallest aperture f32 but with a shutter speed of 1 second.

EVERY single position on this diagram is the SAME exact exposure - in other words the amount of light landing on film or CCD (charge couple device) is identical. Relate this now to the choices you have to make when taking photographs.

With manual settings and using aperture or shutter priority options - the photographer has to decide where, along this set of combinations, he/she wants to make their choice, and know why.



2) Aperture vs Depth of Field -

An attempt to detail the relationship between apertures and focus:

The top portion of the above diagram in fact only repeats what we have seen above .. as a reminder of the inverse relationship between shutter speeds and apertures. Again, on this - each position is showing the exact same exposure but your choice of aperture is going to influence just how ''deep'' is the depth of field with close ups.

Look at the two smaller images in the diagram above - they pretty much tell it all - by showing two extremes. Consider trying to photograph your snubbie (see photos below used in these examples) from the muzzle end but you want the cylinder and even grips to be passably sharp.

The upper of the two shows a combination exposure of 1/000 second at f1 ... great for stopping movement and camera shake but is an extremely shallow depth of field. All you might get sharp is the muzzle and foresight!

Now consider the lower one, where you go to the other extreme and use a 1 second exposure - at f32! You see a considerable increase in the depth of field (zone of sharpness) such that maybe you will not only have the muzzle in sharp focus but also the cylinder. Remember - it will improve even more if you move back a bit and then crop the picture later to use just the main subject. Just to prove a point ....look at the pics of the snubby gun taken with different settings (see photos below) .... it shows what is meant.

Now in fact f1 will not usually be found as such .. a ''fast'' lens of 50mm say on a 35mm camera would be ''fast''at about f1.4. Also, the majority of lenses do not stop down much smaller than f22. Note however, that lens aberations are most likely to show when wide open .... so a shot taken at f1.4 ("wide open") could display some loss of picture edge definition. At the other extreme too, f22 ("fully closed down"), there can also sometimes be problems with certain lighting conditions. If possible try and use in-between stops as much as practicable.



Fast shutter speed - large aperture -

Here, we have taken a shot of the gun muzzle at 1/100 sec and the aperture open at maximum - in this case f3.5. Remember, a large aperture is NOT conducive to good depth of field, but here perhaps, maybe we might imagine that we had to hand hold the camera and so reduce camera shake by having a faster shutter speed.

Note however, that whilst the muzzle is pretty clear and sharp ... the cylinder in the background is very out of focus, somewhat of a ''ghost'' presence. This might sometimes matter.

Slow shutter speed and small aperture -

Now, same gun, same camera position but we have reversed the priorities. We have a slow shutter speed of 1/10 sec and the smallest aperture the camera supports, which is f11. Perfectly feasable if a tripod is to hand.

Notice the difference! Once more, the muzzle is quite sharp but, now we are able to pick out more detail of the cylinder. Agreed, that is not totally sharp but considering the close-up nature of this shot, that is quite some improvement, and it might be required to show better detail sometimes like this.

 

[evangilder]

Long on the technical details, but just right on knowledge needed for studio work. I was just doing a bit of adjustment with the D300 in the studio yesterday for some close ups of antique cameras and ended up stomping my f/1.8 lens down to f/22 to get the DOF I was looking for. Slightly unexposed, but better detail of the whole camera.

 

[Shinpachi]

Very useful knowledge.
Thanks for sharing everyone!

 

[Gnomey]

Good stuff!

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks Gnomey for your comment.

Feeling some responsibility, I have re-taken the photos based on exact DOF theory.

The first one
1/38sec F22.6

The second one
1/1,218sec F3.9

Focus is same 50mm for both.
Thanks gents

 

[evangilder]

Good demonstration of the difference, Shinpachi-san. It is extremely good knowledge to have when working in a photo studio. You have to have an idea of what you want in your depth of field (narrow or wide). Knowing what settings will give you the desired results saves time.

 

[Shinpachi]

It's my honor to have lesson from a professional photographer like you, Eric.
Thank you very much!

 

[vikingBerserker]

I'm looking at buying a DSLR Camera and I've narrowed it down to between a Nikon and a Sony. Has anybody every used the Sony SLT-A57?

 

[GrauGeist]

David, to be honest with you, I haven't heard of many folks using a Sony. That doesn't mean there aren't people using them, but none of the photographers I know have them.

I would look at what Canon offers, as well as Nikon, both having real nice setups from entry-level to full-on pro (and this is coming from a Pentax loyalist)

By the way, my sister, who is a professional photographer, uses all Canon gear (but I love her anyway!)

 

[vikingBerserker]

Thanks for the input Dave, I'm starting to lean more and more towards the Nikon 7100.

 

[GrauGeist]

There's alot of guys here that use a Nikon, first that comes to mind is Eric and if I remember right, so does Shinpachi and Herr Adler.

All of the current DSLRs have comparable features and the higher the price range, the more the options. You don't need a billion megapixels to have good image quality (my Pentax K100D was only 8.1 mp), the human eye can't discern quality differences over 12mp anyway. The one thing I don't like about my Pentax K-5, is that it has a videocam feature, and to me that's a stupid option to have in a DSLR...if a person wants a videocam, buy a videocam (or get an iPhone...) and you'll find this being a standard option in more and more of the DSLRs as the manufacturers bend to public pressure (not professional pressure, but the techno crowd looking for all-in-one happiness)...

The bottom line is what makes you happy and will give you satisfaction in the end. Look for a camera that fits well in your hand, one that will offer you such features as image stabilization, easy function access, perhaps interchangable lenses (one can NEVER have enough glass, seriously) and has a proven track record of reliability among other actual photographers.

 

[Airframes]

I agree there Dave. I bought my first DSLR five months ago, a Nikon D3100, with 18-55 VR lens, and 70-300mm lens with macro. The camera is fine, but has far too many features, including video, making it somewhat clumsy to use, with the two instruction manuals (one a lengthy thing on a CD) even more clumsy. Actually, the camera itself is not particularly comfortable to use, being off balance, with some controls being easily activated accidentally, although I admit at least 25% of these problems are due to my stiff hands.
As a trained photographer, I find it frustrating, as I'm used to being able to quickly adjust and select what I want on traditional film SLRs, both 35mm and 120, and this leads me to a question.
On Sunday, I will be using the camera at an air show for the first time, and would welcome thoughts or suggestions on which would be the preferred settings to use, i.e. full auto, or auto focus continuous servo (on shutter priority) , and what would you consider the best metering programme - center weighted, single-point mode, area mode, or dynamic?
I'm leaning towards auto focus continuous servo, center-weighted, on shutter priority, probably between 1/300th to 1/500th second shutter speeds for the forecast conditions.

 

[Glider]

I'm leaning towards auto focus continuous servo, center-weighted, on shutter priority, probably between 1/300th to 1/500th second shutter speeds for the forecast conditions.

I don't disagree with what you are saying but it made me smile. I was reminded of the first piece of advice I was given many years ago with my first SLR a Zenith E when going to an airshow.
It was focus on a piece of grass about the same distance away as you will be taking the photos. Get the exposure right with the fastest shutter speed you can for the light conditions and then don't touch it. Life was so much simpler.

I will now try to find my slippers and dressing gown

 

[vikingBerserker]

Thanks for the input gents!

I now have it narrowed down between the Nikon 7100 and the Pentax K-5.

 

[Marcel]

I use a Canon 1000D. Not too difficult and great for photographing. Using a Canon 70-300 lens for aircraft pictures, the result of which you can find in the Oostwold thread: http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/warbird-displays/oostwold-nl-airshow-2013-a-37205.html#post1018176

For photographing propellor aircraft use a 1/100 shutterspeed for action photo's and let the diaphragm automatic. With 1/100 you get a nice prop blurr.For static I set shutter higher or on automatic. I use continues servo and single point focussing for start, landing and inflight shots. Oh and set the iso value on 100. This will prevent the digital noise.

The trick with airshows is making as many photo's as possible, you can always throw away later.

 

[GrauGeist]

David, looks like you're doing your homework! I like my K-5, it has most of the functions converted to exterior buttons that give you setting access on the fly...it can be a little tricky at first, at least it was for me at first, since I have been using my K100D for years (well, the K100D was destroyed in my wreck, so it's no more) and it's settings primarily had to be accessed via the menu. Plus you can apply shooting presets (much like a F-Key shortcut) that allows you quick access to favorite setting combinations. It'll be interesting to see what Eric has to say about his Nikon when he drops by the thread.

Terry, I am far from pro, but I usually have my camera set to f/8, automatic shutter and spot or pattern metering (depending on the conditions) with about ISO-200. For bright days and fast action, I'll bump the ISO up.
The last airshow we had (Sept2011) here in Redding was miserably overcast (until the last part of the demonstations) and I still got great results. I'll post a few of the more difficult shots from that show and toss out the particulars.

f/11 - 1/1000 - ISO200 - 300mm

f/9.5 - 1/500 - ISO200 - 300mm

f/9.5 - 1/1000 - ISO200 - 190mm

Hope this helps a little

 

[Marcel]

Dave, notice the prop on that yak standing still? That's what you get when you put the shutter on automatic. The shutterspeed with light background (even overcast is light) will be around 1/400 or faster. I found that any shutterspeed above 400 is unnecessary and makes the prop stand still. Under 1/200 you get more blurred image. If I can I put my shutterspeed at around 1/100 and let the diaphragm compensate for too much light. Many pictures will be bad, too blurred, but if you take enough you get little gems like this:

But sometimes I put the shutter on automatic, and I get this:

Shuttertime is 1/800 I believe. Looks like a little model hanging in the air, doesn't it?

 

[GrauGeist]

Good point, Marcel and I'll set my aperature and shutter manually in many cases.

On that particular day, the varying overcast was causing me to get blurry shots of the aircraft if the shutter speed was any lower. I blew several shots until finally letting the shutter go auto by setting the f-stop and I was able to get sharper shots with a little prop blur.