New Camera!
I am not sure if this is the right forum, but I got a new camera! A big girl camera! With changeable lenses and everything! The only problem? I have no idea how to use the shit - lol. The package I got came with (I think) everything I need: flash, tripod, 2 UV filters, cleaning kit, macro lens, remote, HDMI cord, extra battery, usb memory card reader, and of course, the actual camera.
Does anyone know of any websites that would be helpful in learning how to use all this stuff? I mean, when am I going to need a separate flash? Or what the difference between the UV filters are - besides the thickness: 52mm and 62mm?
Thanks!
Sounds like you have two lenses. They are probably different sizes and you have a UV filter for each lens. The UV filters are generally jut used to protect the lens. You just leave them on all the time, and they take all the abuse. You'll need to clean them off periodically. Filtering out the UV doesn't do much of anything for the photographs.
I'm not away of any good basic photography websites out there, but I'm sure they exist.
Exciting!
Might get more responses if the thread is moved to Technology.
I mean, when am I going to need a separate flash?
Portraiture, I would imagine.
Congrats on the new toy. New toys are fun!
Be sure to post your pics as you learn the new-to-you stuff, we'd love to watch your learning curve.
To begin with be aware what you want to photograph: family - landscape -architecture - wildlife - flowers - people in the street - sports - etc.
Then go out and try.
Did you do any amount of photography before, such as with a point-and-shoot camera or your mobile phone?
With some tutorials:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/
Not a tutorial, but a huge forum with helpful people:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/glatt - thanks! I tried googling, but didn't get any relevant answers
sexobon - didn't think of that. I can't move it, though. I don't want to double post :/
Gravdigr - I shall. I plan on doing some walking or something to get some different views. My back yard sucks
Scriveyn - Thanks for the links! I have used a point and shoot, but it never gave me the pictures I actually wanted. I want to do mostly stills of not-people - lol. I do have a cooking blog I want to use it for, too. That'll probably be the first photos I take.
Congrats on the new camera!
It sounds like the whole thing is pretty new to you. Since you asked, this is what I'd recommend, they are books not online resources, but they are infinitely better than any website you'll find. Even though they are not about digital cameras they are about the theory and principles that digital photography is based on and 90% of what you learn is directly applicable to digital photography. The other ten percent is translatable. E.g. ASA is now called ISO. Even though you don't use film, the principles of film speed (ASA) and how it relates to exposure translate directly to digital exposure ISO settings. (Exposure=Intensity*Duration) F- stops and shutter speeds are the same, depth of field and so forth. Understanding these concepts will make the camera your bitch in the parlance of the streets, rather than vice versa.
The first is a very clear. understandable book on flash units and even though it was written in 1981, the general concepts of lighting with a flash haven't changed even though some of the bells and whistles available today are pretty shiny. When you do begin looking at flash units you'll understand the pros and cons much better after reading this. And you can get it used for $0.91
http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-flash-The-Kodak-workshop/dp/0879852712
The second is another book that I can't recommend highly enough; it's the gold standard for college photo courses. And I just realized I lent my copy to someone, I can't remember who, and they never returned it. Fuck. When will I learn?
http://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Photography-Revised-Edition/dp/0316373052
Feel free to pm me if you have any questions, or make a thread.
What kind of camera did you get?
I'd add that there are two things to know about photography.
The first is the technical side of it. You want to learn, as foot said, about the different ways you can set the exposure. Several things impact the exposure: the aperture (also known as F-stop); the shutter speed; the ISO (or sensitivity) of the sensor; and manually adding light to the scene by using a flash or moving a subject a next to a window or something.
That brings me to the second thing. The funny thing about the technical side of things is that EVERY single one of those things you can adjust has other things it will impact, and that's where the artistic side of things comes in. You can force the camera to achieve different effects by manipulating any one of them. For example:
-by adjusting the aperture, you can change the depth of field, which is how much of the scene is in focus.
-by adjusting the shutter speed, you can freeze motion sharply, or you can let things have a motion blur
- by adjusting the ISO, you can magnify the "noise" in the image, or get rid of the "noise" altogether.
-by changing the amount of light in the scene, either by using a flash, or other external light, or putting a neutral density filter on the camera to block out light, you can play with the other settings more than you would be able to otherwise
And when ever you change any one of those things, the others will either change automatically to retain the proper exposure level, or if you are in manual mode you will have to change them manually to keep the exposure right. So there are always trade offs. For example, if there isn't a lot of light available, a fast shutter speed can only be accomplished by opening the aperture wide and maybe cranking up the sensitivity of the sensor. So if you are in a nightclub and want to take a picture of somebody dancing without using a flash, they are going to be blurry from moving around. And there is going to be a lot of noise in the picture from the sensor being cranked up.
When I read this:
--snip
I have used a point and shoot, but it never gave me the pictures I actually wanted.
--snip
I felt compelled to write this.
QFT.
Congrats on the new camera!
--snip--
Understanding these concepts will make the camera your bitch in the parlance of the streets, rather than vice versa.
--snip
Bbro, you may find
this chart somewhat helpful in understanding some of the more basic basics.
Yeah. that's a pretty good link.
I'd like to see a little online simulator where you can slide a bar back and forth for each of the exposure variables and then see the other variable move in response to that change and a sample image change as well.
I'd like to see a little online simulator where you can slide a bar back and forth for each of the exposure variables and then see the other variable move in response to that change and a sample image change as well.
Heh. Well, glatt, I'm glad you asked. I did a search and found such a creature.
http://camerasim.com/apps/original-camerasim/web/You know, glatt. I've been playing with that virtual camera for a couple minutes and it's amazing. It has everything. Even simulates sensor noise and shaking hands blurring.
I'm confused. Is Glatt talking to himself? :3_eyes:
I'm confused. Is Glatt talking to himself? :3_eyes:
Yeah, he's talking
to himself, but, it's
for us, so, 'salright.
:cool:
You guys are awesome, thanks! I am going on a hike this week/weekend (weather permitting) and plan on playing with the camera. I can't wait!
Congrats for your camera, hope to see new videos from your camera.
I'm confused. Is Glatt talking to himself? :3_eyes:
When you're the most fascinating guy in the room, who you gonna talk to?
Whoever is taking your Dos Equis order?
That brings me to the second thing. The funny thing about the technical side of things is that EVERY single one of those things you can adjust has other things it will impact, and that's where the artistic side of things comes in. You can force the camera to achieve different effects by manipulating any one of them.
Yeah, but it won't make your supper less burnt after it goes crispy which you're fuckin' with the camera. First things first. :lol2:
Yeah, but it won't make your supper less burnt after it goes crispy which you're fuckin' with the camera. First things first. :lol2:
Oh, please. I think we all know that food quality comes before the picture. If it didn't, I don't think I'd be as pudgy - :lol:
I haven't been able to get outside, really, to take pictures because of the rain that has fallen continuously since the camera came in the mail. I have been playing around with it though. Here are some of my favorites
Food:
I see you have a ball. ;)
Playing with the different pre-set filters part 1
Playing with pre-set filters part 2
Some random photos and one collage that I made :)
Good choice of target with a variety of textures and colors, makes an excellent test to compare filters. :thumb:
I am still amazed by the sharpness of the pictures. I've figured out how to manually focus, so I can do ones like the curtain and flower, but better. I don't know how often I will use the filters since they are a pain in the ass to select. Everything else was taken as a normal photo either with or without the flash. Nothing special. The lettuce covered food might have been a macro photo, but that's it.
I'm really enjoying it regardless :)
Good choice of target with a variety of textures and colors, makes an excellent test to compare filters. :thumb:
Thanks! That was actually my thought. :cool:
I see you have a ball. ;)
She also has a wide mouth.
Things I like: A woman with a wide mouth that likes to have a ball!!
:p::p::p::p::p:
Nice pics, Bbro. Keep playing with it, that's how ya learn!:thumb:
[QUOTE=xoxoxoBruce]
I see you have a ball. ;)
She also has a wide mouth.
Things I like: A woman with a wide mouth that likes to have a ball!!
:p::p::p::p::p:
Nice pics, Bbro. Keep playing with it, that's how ya learn!:thumb:[/QUOTE]
HA! You guys are funny :P It supposed to be nice this weekend, so I am going walking or hiking or something with nature.
Oooo, naked nature selfies. Hot damn. :elkgrin:
Got some good ones from my hike today.
Dam!
I don't know what this is and I left it as is when I left
Last ones. Can't believe I got a squirrel :D
It was a dark and stormy day... ;)
It was a dark and stormy day... ;)
Not much sun under the canopy :) I got some showing the sun beyond the trail - lol
Looks like a nice place to walk! I like the stonework in that dam.
Looks like a nice place to walk! I like the stonework in that dam.
I thought it was pretty cool. There was another one further down that was broken in half.
I am going on the same trail tomorrow, I think, with the zoom lens. Gonna see if I can get a better picture of those squirrels
Watch out, the squirrels are only second to rabbits in their thirst for blood. You don't have to worry about nut attacks, but they go for the throat next.
I went out on the same trail today with the zoom lens. It's much harder to take pictures with it since you have to plan being so far back. I still got a lot of good pictures of squirrels. It also seemed like there were a lot more leaves on the ground.
Any critiques are welcome :)
Who's that squirrel?
And who the hell is that squirrel?
The Shadow knows.... muhahahahaha. ;)
Nice pics ... Cute squirrel and nice shroom.
Bbro, do your squrls speak with a British accent? All my squrls speak with a British accent.
Who's that squirrel?
And who the hell is that squirrel?
The Shadow knows.... muhahahahaha. ;)
I cannot reveal my contact's names :cool:
Nice pics ... Cute squirrel and nice shroom.
Thanks!
Bbro, do your squrls speak with a British accent? All my squrls speak with a British accent.
They didn't speak this time. Just threw their nuts at me :eek:
That first picture look like a great place to gawk at scenery and fall flat on your face. Be careful, don't try to look through the camera and walk at the same time. :thepain:
That first picture look like a great place to gawk at scenery and fall flat on your face. Be careful, don't try to look through the camera and walk at the same time. :thepain:
LOL - I always stop because I would face plant INTO the camera. :D
Turn it around quick, 'cause pics or it didn't happen. :haha:
These are wicked cool bbro! Your mushroom shot are really interesting but don't tell classicman where they are, he'll eat your subjects.
Turn it around quick, 'cause pics or it didn't happen. :haha:
My friend I was with would've happily taken the pictures before I got back up :sweat:
These are wicked cool bbro! Your mushroom shot are really interesting but don't tell classicman where they are, he'll eat your subjects.
Thanks :) I think I am getting the hang of this. I am loving the manual focus. That was a huge problem with the point and shoot - it would focus on the wrong thing.
He can eat them......as long as I get my shot first :p:
lol - none of hers look edible to me yet...
But since you didn't ask. I took a couple while out yesterday. Believe it or not, two sides of the same tree. MAJOR SCORE. :D
I went out on the same trail today with the zoom lens. It's much harder to take pictures with it since you have to plan being so far back. I still got a lot of good pictures of squirrels. It also seemed like there were a lot more leaves on the ground.
Any critiques are welcome :)
Since you asked...
I think you're thinking of the zoom function "wrong". The zoom function is not an impediment to taking the picture you want because the subject is "too close". For the subjects that are "too close" to easily use the zoom function, ... just don't zoom. Really. Just take the picture with the wider lens setting (less or no zoom), and voila', your picture.
Now, what I think is probably happening is that you're just enjoying playing around with your new camera, exploring all the features and functions of the [strike]toy[/strike] machine. And the zoom is a cool part of that. So you see something interesting to photograph, you think you'll try the zoom feature, and unfortunately, it's "too close" to easily use the zoom for *that* subject. In this case, pffft, let the "rules" go out the window. Zoom in on something close up, knock yourself out. It's your camera, it's your artistic vision, if the plebs don't like it, tough. Your muse, your pictures.
Anyhow, you're doing great, the pictures are nice and you look like you're having a lot of fun. *THAT'S* the main point, and you're totally getting that one. Well done. :)
I am not sure if this is the right forum, but I got a new camera!
Congrats on your camera :)
Try not to use up all the film in one pass!! (It can be tempting)
Since you asked...
I think you're thinking of the zoom function "wrong". The zoom function is not an impediment to taking the picture you want because the subject is "too close". For the subjects that are "too close" to easily use the zoom function, ... just don't zoom. Really. Just take the picture with the wider lens setting (less or no zoom), and voila', your picture.
Now, what I think is probably happening is that you're just enjoying playing around with your new camera, exploring all the features and functions of the [strike]toy[/strike] machine. And the zoom is a cool part of that. So you see something interesting to photograph, you think you'll try the zoom feature, and unfortunately, it's "too close" to easily use the zoom for *that* subject. In this case, pffft, let the "rules" go out the window. Zoom in on something close up, knock yourself out. It's your camera, it's your artistic vision, if the plebs don't like it, tough. Your muse, your pictures.
Anyhow, you're doing great, the pictures are nice and you look like you're having a lot of fun. *THAT'S* the main point, and you're totally getting that one. Well done. :)
V - thanks for the advice. The issue isn't the zoom function, it's a zoom lens. The normal lens stops at 55mm and the zoom lens starts at 70mm. Because it starts there, it just takes a bit of planning since I can't pull the lens in any further than 70mm
Thanks for the compliment :) I am very proud of my pictures. I wish I could post them all here - lol!
A 70mm lens is the preferred "portrait lens", which seem counter intuitive. But if you think about it, a portrait is usually head and shoulders, think school pictures, without the camera being right in the subjects face. Try it with your friend, seeing how close you have to be to get the same school picture with the 50mm and 70mm.
Now if you apply that same reasoning, you can take a sort of fearless squirrel, or cowardly flower, filling the frame without being on top of it. Then you can take same wider shots as the 50mm, without walking way over there, 'cause walking is so 20th century, plus really hard walking up a tree trunk. :haha:
Did you ever say what model your camera is?
I have fun with my macro lens... They can be expensive, but you can get a usable one under $200...
That lets you get right up tight on your subject, and you get lovely bokeh to contrast.
I think the composition of a photo is half of the game. Try to keep it in mind as you shoot, or crop after. You want the eye to be led around by the contrasting lines or colors. Don't put the subject dead center. Use thirds and triangles. Horizons should not be in the middle.
lumberjim - thanks for the tips. I will keep those in mind.
I don't know if I mentioned the model, either. I got a Nikon D3300 Digital SLR Camera with a 18-55mm VR II Zoom Lens and a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens (BIM).
I got a bundle cause I didn't know what I needed. I chose this model because it looked kind of like the middle ground. Not completely manual, but still some manual features like focus. And because it came in red. Yep.
That camera's got a pretty good sensor and should be able to take nice star pictures, like of the Milky Way.
That camera's got a pretty good sensor and should be able to take nice star pictures, like of the Milky Way.
Night photos would be fun :D Is that with the zoom lens or with the normal lens?
Experiment! But I'd try the normal lens first. It lets in more light. It would be good for wide shots of the milky way. You would want a tripod though. Do you have one?
Yes! My package came with one! Man, I think I did good on choosing the package....
I made dis. It's a padded lens case. It doesn't stand very well, but I'm hoping that it will be better than having to lug my whole camera case around every time I go out. It was made specifically for my zoom lens, but I am hoping that it can work for the normal camera until I get that one made.
It's in the bag, Baby. :thumb:
I (or it may be Popdigr's) have a really old Tamron telephoto lens around here somewhere...
[size=1]I said really old...it probably dates to the early-mid 70s.[/size]
Let's not discuss how long I stood there for the web picture
Webs are hard if the light doesn't cooperate. Try using a mister (not a Mr.:D)to cover the web in tiny water droplets.
Webs are much easier to see than to photograph. You might also try the manual focus on something you *know* is in the same focal range, like the spider or a branch the web's attached to.
A can of white spray paint can help reveal webs against a darker background, like in a barn, etc
Went on another walk today
Can you find the rock I call jabba?
Thanks! Got them with my zoom :)
Fargon, I particularly liked your two middle pics in
Post#80
... in pic#2, the hiker is still in the light, but just at the edge of dark.
Somehow, that seems to me to be more interesting that just being in full light, or full shade.
... in pic#3, the point of interest is at about 1/3 of the vertical height.
Again, somehow, that seems to me to be a more interesting composition than in the middle.
:thumb:
Fargon, I particularly liked your two middle pics in Post#80
That was not me. It was Bbro.
Geeez, I'm doing that all too often lately. I need a secretary.
No worries :) Thanks for the compliments!
I tried to get a shot out of the airplane window recently and failed miserably. I got an okish shot with the auto feature and couldn't get diddly with the manual settings no matter what I tried. Came home and was brainstorming about getting some practice. I bought a set of lights on sale - scored with amber lights - and googled. I was doing ok, but the color was off. Apparently, you should adjust the white balance to correct the color. I think I am getting a hang of it :)
It's still out of focus, but the color is right and the lights are showing. I am going to try again at night when there is NO residual light. Also, have some pictures from my trip home!
Doggies and Pgh weather when I landed
No - childhood home for the holidays.
OK, I thought I'd missed some juicy stuff. :blush:
Thought the steam capture looked pretty cool. I think I got some good shots
A 70mm lens is the preferred "portrait lens", which seem counter intuitive. But if you think about it, a portrait is usually head and shoulders, think school pictures, without the camera being right in the subjects face. Try it with your friend, seeing how close you have to be to get the same school picture with the 50mm and 70mm.
maybe weighing in late, but another reason for a longer focal length lens for portraits is less distortion. A 135 is also a nice portrait lens.
The ideal (in my opinion) beginner's phalanx of lenses would be a 35mm, roughly equivalent to our field of vision when scanning a scene, a 70 to 135 zoom which somewhat replicates what we see when we focus on things that are distant. This has to do more with what we edit out in our brains and not what our eyes actually see:
Normal lensmaybe weighing in late, but another reason for a longer focal length lens for portraits is less distortion. A 135 is also a nice portrait lens.
The ideal (in my opinion) beginner's phalanx of lenses would be a 35mm, roughly equivalent to our field of vision when scanning a scene, a 70 to 135 zoom which somewhat replicates what we see when we focus on things that are distant. This has to do more with what we edit out in our brains and not what our eyes actually see:
Normal lens
I have a 15-55mm lens as my "regular" lens. I don't do many portraits. I've been doing mostly nature photos and food :)
Here are some photos I took of the storm and clouds that came through NC today. I had a total of 16, but managed to narrow it down to 3 of my favorites.
...maybe I should do a thread of all my photos over in Images....
They look like after clouds, after the storm when it's moving on.
Matters not where you post 'em, we'll find 'em. :eyeball::eyeball:
They look like after clouds, after the storm when it's moving on.
Matters not where you post 'em, we'll find 'em. :eyeball::eyeball:
Yep, they were after clouds. I couldn't get any during because I don't have a protector for my camera.
Usually not before either, as that kind of storm usually builds up instead of a defined front. Like seeing a skunk, it gets bigger and bigger then all hell breaks loose and you can't see shit until the tail is moving on.
It was a tornado, hail, and high wind laced storm that cut across multiple states. It was ugly, but I didn't get too bad. It was more sudden, so I think I would have been able to get some pics. I think I have some of the sky dark on one side, but clouds like these on the other
Nice pics. Keep posting them. Wherever.
I have a 15-55mm lens as my "regular" lens. I don't do many portraits. I've been doing mostly nature photos and food :)
Perfect for nature and landscape stuff. Also good for food depending on what you are shooting and the style you are looking for.
Nice pics. Keep posting them. Wherever.
this
Thanks guys :) I will definitely keep posting!