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Rossie
Regular Member


847 Posts
Posted -  11/01/2008  :  19:30
Because of the grim weather, I have been unable to experiment outside with my shiny new camera, so I have resorted to indoor efforts, using flash and focus................

Gill


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Tizer
VIP Member


5150 Posts
Posted - 31/01/2008 : 09:58
That 60th of a second setting is still a magic number on the digital cameras - anything slower and they start flashing their little symbols to warn you of camera shake. But I've bought a Ricoh Caplio with anti-shake on it and find it a fantastic camera (especially as I begin to shake more!). A lot of them now have the same function, calling it anti-vibration or anti-shake. It's almost good enough for the black cat in the coal hole.


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Rossie
Regular Member


847 Posts
Posted - 31/01/2008 : 10:53
Hi Tizer - can I pick your brain?
I have a new Sony cybershot digital camera, I love it but I am still getting used to it.  The auto setting works fine but I like to have more control over exposure etc and I am curious - this 60th of a second setting you mention - where am I likley to find that.  I have an EV setting for adjusting image brightness, and ISO, which is a sensitiviy setting and by trial and error I am finding out what they do but any help would be appreciated.

Gill


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Doc
Keeper of the Scrolls


2010 Posts
Posted - 31/01/2008 : 11:30
There are a few good websites specifically for mastering digital photography techniques

http://www.digital-photography-tips.net/
http://digitalphotography.tipcentral.net/
http://www.dcmag.co.uk/
http://www.ephotozine.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/

and a load more at

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=digital+photography+techniques&meta=


TTFN - Doc


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Rossie
Regular Member


847 Posts
Posted - 31/01/2008 : 16:53
Thanks Doc - lots to get my head around here!

Gill


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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 08:31
Rossie, two basics in old fashioned film pics.  The speed of the film and the time the shutter was open.  The longer the shutter was open and the wider the aperture, the more light you let in and the stronger the effect of available light on the film.  This is called exposure for obvious reasons.  The bigger the opening and the longer it was open the lower the light you could cope with.  Disadvantages were shake with long exposures and lessening of depth of field with wider apertures.  The skill was to balance all these out.  The other way of coping with low light was the film speed.  The higher the ISO number the more sensitive the film.  100 gave fine grain and good definition.  1000 or higher gave great sensitivity but coarser grain and less definition.  Strictly speaking the ISO numbers are just a guide to definition.  So, read the manual and recognise that the better the light, the smaller the aperture and the faster the shutter speed, the better the pic.


Stanley Challenger Graham




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Rossie
Regular Member


847 Posts
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 10:20
Thank you for all the very useful help. 
In the dim and distant past I used to get great transparency photos from my Kodak Retinette camera, which was semi-automatic but I would do my calculations and manually set it a lot of the time.  F8 at a 60th with kodak 50 ASA worked fine most of the time but a sunny day helped.  The principles of aperture, focal length, shutter and film speed I understood in principal as I was a radiographer who did her training in the olden days of wet developing of the film plates in the darkroom.  Focal length and depth of field were used to great effect to show different medical problems.  Faster film was used to 'capture' tricky features and bits that would not keep still but always at the expense of quality of image - it was a balance.

Time dims the memory somewhat but I still understand the principles.  The problem with my new digital camera is applying these principles to what the camera will do.  It is not an SLR camera - I wanted a compact one that would slip in my pocket on dog walks rather than a heavier one hanging around my neck.  The camera manual is not a lot of help as it just covers basics, and the automatic setting works splendidly most of the time.  It is idiot proof in as much as if you want to try something different, you just click the correct icon on the screen and it does all the thinking for you!!  What I have been trying to get my head around is how to narrow the Depth of Field, and as it is a compact camera I think this is limited to a wide depth of field .  By trial and error I have tried all ways to get just the subject in focus and blur the surround but the only way I can do this seems to be to press the 'blur background' icon and the result is disappointing.  We also have a non-digital SLR camera and it is so easy to get great photos by limiting the D o F and changing the lenses, but the camera so heavy so it stays at home.

When I was a girl, I was constantly the subject of my father's photographic efforts and when he bought himself an expensive camera and started to take colour slides, I was expected to stand still whilst he poked his exposure meter in my direction, took a low and a high reading, then calculated the average and set his camera accordingly.  Then the sun would go in and the whole process would be repeated.  We were usually on holiday in Wales, I was invariably standing on some wind-blown beach, at the water's edge, shivering in my rather unpleasant elasticated nylon swimming costume, and so I was very glad when I eventually graduated to the other side of the camera !

This is getting too long and I am digressing.....

Gill


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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 14:05
Two ways to adjust depth of field, step back and use the zoom option or look in tha manual and force it to use a wider aperture.  You'll find there is a setting for that.  Many cameras are, when in default mode, aperture priority which means that the camera tries to set the smallest aperture possible and lengthens the time to get the exposure.  Read the manual........


Stanley Challenger Graham




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Another
Traycle Mine Overseer


6250 Posts
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 17:55
Findus, have a look at this site. Nolic

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/britain/goodphotos/


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Big Kev
Big


2650 Posts
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 18:09
Rossie wrote

I have a new Sony cybershot digital camera

Which model Cybershot is it?



Big Kev

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Rossie
Regular Member


847 Posts
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 22:59
Kev - its a DSC-T200.

Thanks Nolic - will have a look but at the moment I am trying to burn camcorder footage onto a CD that will play on the telly and don't want to jam up my laptop - yet another new challenge!!

Findus


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Rossie
Regular Member


847 Posts
Posted - 02/02/2008 : 15:16
Jacobs sheep


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Rossie
Regular Member


847 Posts
Posted - 02/02/2008 : 15:20
Above pic. taken this morning from upstairs window using zoom

Gill


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Big Kev
Big


2650 Posts
Posted - 02/02/2008 : 16:56
Hi Rossie

 I've had a read through the spec on your camera and there's no mention of any manual settings, just the "scene" settings. From previous experience, with auto settings for digital cameras, the "Twilight Portrait" Scene mode will probably give you the widest aperture setting thereby narrowing your depth of field. With regard to the 1/60th of a second shutter speed you are at the mercy of the camera I'm afraid. I hope this is useful......


Big Kev

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frankwilk
Senior Member


3975 Posts
Posted - 02/02/2008 : 18:26
Image



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Rossie
Regular Member


847 Posts
Posted - 02/02/2008 : 18:28
Thanks for that Kev,

Its interesting - I have been experimenting today with various settings.  As you say, the 'twilight portrait' seems to mimic a wide aperture but you are at the mercy of camera shake and even with the anti-shake switched on, I think you would need a tripod to keep the camera still enough.  Also cannot set the focus manually on this setting.  You get interesting colour though.  The opposite end of the scale - the 'golfer' setting gives the smallest aperture and I managed to slow down a snow storm this morning. 

The camera is fun to use - all trial and error but at least with a 'digi' you can see results immediately and ditch the junk.  The pic. of the sheep above was taken at 8M image size for prints up to A3, therefore lots of pixels.  I was about 10 metres away and used the telephoto feature to zoom in, and given that it was a dull day I am pleased with the focus.

For its size, the camera is very user-friendly, I am sure I will get good photos on the auto settings and it is nice to be able to have these other features to give different effects.

Gill


Kalh mera oi filoi mou
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