The Official Photography Thread - Vol. 3

[iamdef]

bought a Sony a6000 to get into photography...after reading about aperture and shutter speed, I've tried taking pictures with the proper setting but it takes forever to take the picture. Do you constantly change your setting or do you have a set on a particular one to fit you personally? and also as far as camera features(automatic, shutter priority, aperture priority, landscape, low light) which one do you use? i just set mine on auto but feel as though the picture can turn up much better if i knew which setting to use

thanks

I change the settings according to what I'm shooting as ^^ said. I shoot full manual and it is quite a learning curve to get used to knowing 'round about what the outcome would be with certain settings. typically i won't constantly change my settings unless i'm moving around and the area's lighting is changing

 

[tokes99]

bought a Sony a6000 to get into photography...after reading about aperture and shutter speed, I've tried taking pictures with the proper setting but it takes forever to take the picture. Do you constantly change your setting or do you have a set on a particular one to fit you personally? and also as far as camera features(automatic, shutter priority, aperture priority, landscape, low light) which one do you use? i just set mine on auto but feel as though the picture can turn up much better if i knew which setting to use

thanks

#nice! i think with digital cameras, sonys maybe in particular and especially out of the box, they can be hard to use with all the different setting buried in menus...good thing most are fairly customizable, again the sonys in particular are especially, in this respect. the settings you use are dependent on the type of images you are trying to make and the light available for you to, you may need/want to over/under expose an image or get shallow depth of field to isolate something or maybe you want everything in your frame sharp & in focus...different settings are the name of the game! #welcometomakingpictures my g!!

some of the difficulty you are likely having is maybe just due to it being still new to you (both the camera & manual photography) and some of the modes (like aperture & shutter priority) are there to make the process a bit smoother as far as how many setting you need to worry about, but over time you'll figure out how to manipulate the camera to get the affect you are after; using some of the automatic modes, especially when you are trying to learn, is fine. this may help you figure out some things faster, just try to be aware of the settings that the camera selects for both the images that turn out both good and bad and try to figure what settings may have made that image (un)successful by using that exposure triangle. (was the photo too blurry/dark/exposed/out of focus?, you may have needed to adjust to higher/lower iso, or a larger/smaller aperture, or a slower/faster shutter speed, singularly or some combination of the 3)

but here are some things i can think of that made using that specific camera a little easier to use for me:

1. familiarize your self with the exposure triangle and what each does to the recorded image... basically aperture = depth of field, iso = sensitivity, shutter speed = motion; that way you can decide ahead you time what settings you might need to make a certain image

2. change your focus area setting to 'Center' this basically tells the camera where you want it to focus rather than the camera guessing what in the frame is the focus, which can help in those situations where there is a lot going on in your frame, once it locks on you can reframe if necessary (which is why back button focusing -see below- is good to have on a separate button than your shutter-no need to reacquire focus!).

3. customize your camera to either enable "back button" (AF ON on your camera) focusing or to quickly switch to manual focus, this basically makes so that your focus is independent of pressing the shutter. this allows you to both pre-set your focus thus not having to always rely on the autofocus, i recommend mapping either 'AF ON' of 'AF/MF Toggle' to your 'AEL' button. this way you can set your focus to a certain distance and just push the shutter when the thing you are after is in that range, this is especially helpful in situations where you may not have the best light

4. further customize the button layout & quick function menu (your 'Fn' menu) to work best for you, this might help you both familiarize yourself with the camera and its settings, allowing you to maybe get faster...that back wheel in particular is really easy to manipulate accidentally

5. i recommend finding/using a cheap manual lens which you can connect via an adapter and spend some time using it on your camera, because they have physical aperture rings, distance markings, as well as having a consistent focus throw (rather than being focus-by-wire of the sony lenses, which in some situations can be really challenging); REALLY helped me understand and appreciate all the nuances required in trying to get things right in the moment it takes between seeing something and hitting that shutter...

6. this one is more optional, but it did help me save quite a few images; set the camera to save both jpg & raw files...takes up more space on the memory card but it was worth it for me, almost to the point where it didn't really matter what mode i shot the picture in...it is such an impressive camera, especially given the price!

 

[paulwest1985]

#nice! i think with digital cameras, sonys maybe in particular and especially out of the box, they can be hard to use with all the different setting buried in menus...good thing most are fairly customizable, again the sonys in particular are especially, in this respect. the settings you use are dependent on the type of images you are trying to make and the light available for you to, you may need/want to over/under expose an image or get shallow depth of field to isolate something or maybe you want everything in your frame sharp & in focus...different settings are the name of the game! #welcometomakingpictures my g!!

some of the difficulty you are likely having is maybe just due to it being still new to you (both the camera & manual photography) and some of the modes (like aperture * shutter priority) are there to make the process a bit smoother as far as how many setting you need to worry about, but over time you'll figure out how to manipulate the camera to get the affect you are after; using some of the automatic modes, especially when you are trying to learn, is fine. this may help you figure out some things faster, just try to be aware of the settings that the camera selects for both the images that turn out both good and bad and try to figure what settings may have made that image (un)successful by using that exposure triangle. (was the photo too blurry/dark/exposed/out of focus?, you may have needed to adjust to higher/lower iso, or a larger/smaller aperture, or a slower/faster shutter speed, singularly or some combination of the 3)

but here are some things i can think of that made using that specific camera a little easier to use for me:

1. familiarize your self with the exposure triangle and what each does to the recorded image... basically aperture = depth of field, iso = how sensitivity, shutter speed = motion; that way you can decide ahead you time what settings you might need to make a certain image

2. change your focus area setting to 'Center' this basically tells the camera you want it to focus, which can help in those situations where there is a lot going on in your frame, once it locks on you can reframe if necessary.

3. customize your camera to either enable "back button" (AF ON on your camera) focusing or to quickly switch to manual focus, this basically makes so that your focus is independent of pressing the shutter. this allows you to both pre-set your focus thus not having to always rely on the autofocus, i recommend mapping either 'AF ON' of 'AF/MF Toggle' to your 'AEL' button. this way you can set your focus to a certain distance and just push the shutter when the thing you are after is in that range, this is especially helpful in situations where you may not have the best light

4. further customize the button layout & quick function menu (your 'Fn' menu) to work best for you, this might help you both familiarize yourself with the camera and its settings, allowing you to maybe get faster...that back wheel in particular is really easy to manipulate accidentally

5. i recommend finding/using a cheap manual lens which you can connect via an adapter and spend some time using it on your camera, because they have physical aperture rings, distance markings, as well as having a consistant focus throw (rather than being focus-by-wire of the sony lenses, which in some situations can be really challenging); REALLY helped me understand and appreciate all the nuances required in trying to get things right in the moment it takes between seeing something and hitting that shutter...

6. this one is more optional, but it did help me save quite a few images; set the camera to save both jpg & raw files...takes up more space on the memory card but it was worth it for me, almost to the point where it didn't really matter what mode i shot the picture in...it is such an impressive camera, especially given the price!

Thank you for that synopsis. I'm new to photography as well. I recently brought a Nikon D3200 ( in hindsight , I wish I would have went with the D3300 so I could take panoramic photos ) and I have some experience using a point and shoot camera. But I'm still getting used to dslr's

 

[eugenile gts]

so say i have a nifty 50mm 1.8

and lighting in the room is not ideal. if there is a group shot of people i have to take.. obviously i cant/wont shoot that wide open because some faces wont be focused. and i have to stop it down a couple. but that would mean the photo will become darker. i dont want to increase iso due to noise, but i can prob only handheld the shot 1/80 sec without blur maybe 1/60. even that it seems a little dark. i can increase the iso shoot 1/100 but the photo will be too noisy

its a t3i body, anything over iso 800 seems to be noisy, unless i make the photo black/white in post and the photo is acceptable with the noise.

i dont use flash.. i dont have external flash. have i reached the limit to take these type of photos in these conditions?

i only had the 50mm at the time and yea on crop its like what 70-80mm? so yea i was really away from the group lol. had to make due. they asked me to take photos.

 

[djyoung08]

so say i have a nifty 50mm 1.8

and lighting in the room is not ideal. if there is a group shot of people i have to take.. obviously i cant/wont shoot that wide open because some faces wont be focused. and i have to stop it down a couple. but that would mean the photo will become darker. i dont want to increase iso due to noise, but i can prob only handheld the shot 1/80 sec without blur maybe 1/60. even that it seems a little dark. i can increase the iso shoot 1/100 but the photo will be too noisy

its a t3i body, anything over iso 800 seems to be noisy, unless i make the photo black/white in post and the photo is acceptable with the noise.

i dont use flash.. i dont have external flash. have i reached the limit to take these type of photos in these conditions?

i only had the 50mm at the time and yea on crop its like what 70-80mm? so yea i was really away from the group lol. had to make due. they asked me to take photos.

Your only GOOD options at that point are on camera flash pointed in a way that creates fill, off camera flash or some other lighting source.

I hate those situations. You can always shoot raw and shoot a poorly exposed, sharp photo and bring the exposure back in Lightoom but i try my hardest to get my exposure in camera as close as i can to what i want the final product to be.

I had to use off camera flash at a party last saturday... was so dark :x

EDIT: will you posted what you ended up getting?

 

[iamdef]

Yup, on camera is your only other option.

Or have em stand really still for a long exposure shot lol

 

[Biggsy]

@bscarrillo427 tokes99 iamdef thanks guys...really appreciate it

 

[tokes99]

Thank you for that synopsis. I'm new to photography as well. I recently brought a Nikon D3200 ( in hindsight , I wish I would have went with the D3300 so I could take panoramic photos ) and I have some experience using a point and shoot camera. But I'm still getting used to dslr's

no prob, sorry if it was bit long winded...and you can do panoramas with any camera, you just have to do it manually (also much easier if you have photoshop, it does a pretty good job of stitching shots together), which while maybe not as immediate the upshot is you will get a much more detailed shot generally than with the in camera panorama mode...

so say i have a nifty 50mm 1.8

and lighting in the room is not ideal. if there is a group shot of people i have to take.. obviously i cant/wont shoot that wide open because some faces wont be focused. and i have to stop it down a couple. but that would mean the photo will become darker. i dont want to increase iso due to noise, but i can prob only handheld the shot 1/80 sec without blur maybe 1/60. even that it seems a little dark. i can increase the iso shoot 1/100 but the photo will be too noisy

its a t3i body, anything over iso 800 seems to be noisy, unless i make the photo black/white in post and the photo is acceptable with the noise.

i dont use flash.. i dont have external flash. have i reached the limit to take these type of photos in these conditions?

i only had the 50mm at the time and yea on crop its like what 70-80mm? so yea i was really away from the group lol. had to make due. they asked me to take photos.

you can focus stack if your photochoppin skills are decent you can also shoot as wide open as necessary for each zone the faces are in and just make a composite image, and if your hands are steady enough you won't even have to be that neat on the when you eventually edit the images together...

you can also just stand back further so that you compress the focus zone some, kind of depends on the lens though...

 

[Biggsy]

i don't mean to bombard the tread with a lot of newbie questions but I only have the kit lens that came with the a6000 which is 16-50 mm. i am in the market to buy a telephoto lens because the current lenses are obviously useless when i go to a sporting event or a concert. not looking to really pay over 1k . here are ones that i am considering

http://www.sony.com/electronics/camera-lenses/sel70200g

http://www.sony.com/electronics/camera-lenses/selp18105g

I'm interested in the G series because i see that it is better quality than the basic line but lesser than the professional one

thanks in advance

 

[manusousou]

Hi everyone,

been a while, I lost my former Ig account, took that opportunity to make a quick break of photog, I got sick of all those identical shots you see on IG with the trends and and all.

I decided to do mainly bnw now, I figured it helps me to focus on what I exactly want to put in my frame somehow, anyway : 

More of my stuff on my new IG https://www.instagram.com/manvsovsov/

Cheers

 

[djyoung08]

followed

 

[ksteezy]

So I was gonna sell off my Pentax 67, till I stumbled across a P67 group on Flickr, ended up keeping my Pentax, finally tracking down a 105mm 2.4 and a waist level finder...lmao

Is gonna be lit, the pictures the 105mm produces are

 

[ksteezy]

Followed, focused fees like yours are the **** wish I had it in me to focus my feed more, but I know I'll get bored and won't keep up with it...so I'll keep rocking with my mixed up feed.

 

[Nawzlew]

Had to climb my apartments service ladder thing to a "roof" that was like 5x5 with no barrier

 

[southcitydon]

heart(rock)aches.

 

[Bruce Banner]

i have a ds3200 , for some odd reason some of my pics are coming out blurry & at night when i try to a picture it usually say "subject is too a dark " im shooting with manual btw .

 

[romcadoo]

Followed, focused fees like yours are the **** wish I had it in me to focus my feed more, but I know I'll get bored and won't keep up with it...so I'll keep rocking with my mixed up feed.

 

[myreezy]

been following this thread for a while. here's some pics shot with a t3i.

 

[Nawzlew]

 

[manusousou]

DJYoung08, ksteezy, romcadoo thanks guys !

Honestly I don't know if I have it in me as well, this is something new for me as well but I need that to feel excited about photography again !

 

[Nawzlew]

 

[paulwest1985]

been following this thread for a while. here's some pics shot with a t3i.


 

Nice! Where is that abandoned bowling alley located?

 

[babygawd]

Was finally able to make it to my in laws to get the original of that restored picture I posted on the last page. Looking at it now, I really can't believe how amazing it looks!

 

[tokes99]

Was finally able to make it to my in laws to get the original of that restored picture I posted on the last page. Looking at it now, I really can't believe how amazing it looks!

that is amazing!

 

[djyoung08]

Was finally able to make it to my in laws to get the original of that restored picture I posted on the last page. Looking at it now, I really can't believe how amazing it looks!

wow!!!!!! im blown away