Phototalk - ask a question or explain stuff about photography

[Albedo]

I’ve had a few chats with Hama about using these high end compacts which offer control of shutter speed, aperture, ISO etc. I know that quite a few arbtalk members have the G10 or G11 and me and Hama have the Panasonic LX5.

 

Hopefully others have gained from the ‘You’ve got me at it now Hama’ thread in the fungi section (It got over a thousand views so someone must be interested but few participated, probably because it looked like a private chat between the two of us). I know there are a few good ‘togs’ on this forum so I stress that the roll of advice asker, or giver is open to all.

 

So here is a dedicated thread for us all to help each other with questions on how to improve our photography, regardless of what camera you are using. It might, however, help those who are giving the advice for us to say what camera we are using when we post.

 

I’ll start where we left off in another thread.

 

I was trying to catch this flutterby. Notice how only a narrow plane of the wing is in focus. Hamma spotted that it would have been hand held so recommended a higher ISO setting.

 

Also a higher aperture number, which gives greater Depth of Field (DOF). Lets say the F stop (aperture setting) on this was number 2 (biggest hole). This gives the blurry background but shallow DOF.

A higher F stop like 6 or 8(smaller hole) would give greater DOF and maybe the antennae would be in focus and the background less blurred. Distance from the subject is also a factor in this and focal length but I don’t fully understand the interactions of all the variables yet.

 

I haven’t played around with ISO until today but the higher numbers I believe are like a faster film which gives a faster shutter speed so better for hand held and/or low light. The faster shutter speed selected by the camera (I could hear it was faster when I upped the ISO) suggests that the higher ISO is something to do with gathering more light to the sensor allowing the faster speed for the same aperture, therefore not reducing DOF but reducing shake?

 

That is not a very clear question but comments on any part of it appreciated or just pitch in with your own and we’ll see where this goes.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Albedo
EDIT. Tried to edit the title to put the missing 'o' in photography, but can't alter it. perhaps a mod could fix

[alex_m]

If you are having trouble with over exposed bright skies when shooting landscapes or any outdoor pics where the sky is over exposed, use a Graduated Neutral Density Filter (ND Grad). This reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor from the sky, which results in a much more balanced photo.

here is an example without the nd grad and with....

 

 

[RobArb]

can't see the pics?

[ad15]

my hot tip is,,,,

 

if in doubt, shoot black and white,, i find it flatters me into thinking i'm a better photographer than i really am,,,,

[Recceboy]

I use a Nikon D60, with 18-55mm lens.

 

I shoot various settings until i find what i want. I have never really got to grips with all the Fstops and DOF, but i have played around with ISO and kind of know about that, well enough to get me by.

 

Interesting thread and one i will be keeping a focus on.

[alex_m]

can't see the pics?

 

hmm, i can see them. not sure whats up there. here's another example for you.....

 

without and with ND Grad Filter.....

 

[Tonythetree]

If you are having trouble with over exposed bright skies when shooting landscapes or any outdoor pics where the sky is over exposed, use a Graduated Neutral Density Filter (ND Grad). This reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor from the sky, which results in a much more balanced photo.

here is an example without the nd grad and with....

 

 

 

You forgot to add that you need to meter for the forground and switch to manual before attaching the ND grads:001_smile:

Tony

[ecolojim]

with increased iso comes increased noise, but it's easier to remove noise than it is to correct bad focus from slow shutter speeds.

 

another Nikon DSLR user here. concentrating mostly on my wildlife photography

18-55, 70-300 and soon 150-500mm lenses

[Albedo]

with increased iso comes increased noise, but it's easier to remove noise than it is to correct bad focus from slow shutter speeds.

 

another Nikon DSLR user here. concentrating mostly on my wildlife photography

18-55, 70-300 and soon 150-500mm lenses

 

This is a good point and the post processing (PP) element is to be borne in mind these days. (I think thats the correct lingo but correct me if I'm wrong)

 

My lX5 goes from ISO 80 to 12800. I know that the top end of this range is unusable for the reason that you state, but have to experiment to find the acceptable range without too much loss of quality. Will also have to experiment with how much can be fixed in PP to extend this range now that you have made this point.

 

Its interesting hearing from DSLR users too as part of the reason for buying a high end compact for me was to see if I would get into it enough to justify going down that road.

 

ps. Thanks to the mod who fixed the missing 'o' in the thread title:thumbup1:

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

All good stuff so far, the grad filters are an essential piece of kit, even one hand held infront of the lens if you cant fit one.

 

the need to use manual etc can be got round using ae/f lock then re composing.