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Photography technical advice, questions, tips and techniques.

Started by Tank, July 30, 2018, 10:37:09 AM

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Dave

I think you have a panoramic mode on that camera, JJ, take a look here. But you really need the 18-55mm that comes with most Nikon D series kits. And a tripod and panning head . . .

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/panoramas.html

Also Nikonites (worth joining):

https://nikonites.com/d3200/18099-how-take-panoramic-picture.html#axzz5MkFID4gS

My little Lumix compensates for hand held panoramic shots but best if you twist at the waist with legs spread for hand held.

Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Tank

What is a 'standard' lens.

Well this has changed over the decades. Before zoom lenses (lenses that can change their focal length and remain in focus) a standard lens had a focal length of between 45 and 55mm (usually 50mm) on a 35mm film body. That focal length approximates the perceived central angle of view of the human eye. I say perceived as the actual angle of view of the human eyes are about 180°.

With zoom lenses now the norm a standard lens is in the order of 18mm to 55mm. (28 to 83mm in old 35mm terms)
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Dave

Following Tanks comments on lenses, the (usually) standard 55mm lens on a Nikon DSLR gives you an image that will be about the "size" you see things with the naked eye, maybe fractionally larger.. Look through the viewfinder then over the camera at the scene to check this.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Dave

Tank, you have opened a flood gate here I think!

:whirly:
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

jumbojak

Quote from: Tank on July 30, 2018, 02:32:02 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on July 30, 2018, 02:31:08 PM
What should I look for in a wide angle lens? I'm trying to document some of the swampland around home and the neither my telephoto nor the lens that came with the camera do a satisfactory job.

What lens came with your camera?

It's an 18-55mm. I forget the aperture range.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

Dave

#20
Using a tripod for photographing documents or items at ground or tabletop level. If your tripod allows it!



Below taken with 18-55 lens at closest allowed focus. But I did not bother with the lighting too much. Note the circular spirit level used, on the back of the camera, to get it level. (Later: 'cept I forgot to level the table first!)



Of course, larger docs need longer legs!
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Tank

#21
Quote from: jumbojak on July 30, 2018, 03:26:37 PM
Quote from: Tank on July 30, 2018, 02:32:02 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on July 30, 2018, 02:31:08 PM
What should I look for in a wide angle lens? I'm trying to document some of the swampland around home and the neither my telephoto nor the lens that came with the camera do a satisfactory job.

What lens came with your camera?

It's an 18-55mm. I forget the aperture range.

That's fine. Aperture isn't an issue here. Going on from Dave's comment about the panorama function. 18mm (28mm in old money) is about as wide as moderate cost 'standard' zoom lenses go. To get wider you'll need to buy a specialist wide angle zoom. Nikon do a 10-20mm it's on this list 10 Great Nikon DX Lenses

I would seriously try to try before you buy with wide angle zooms. They do not have the impact on pictures in the same way a telephoto lens does. But that might just be my preference for getting as close to a subject as possible.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

hermes2015

Quote from: Dave on July 30, 2018, 02:47:48 PM
Also Nikonites (worth joining):

https://nikonites.com/d3200/18099-how-take-panoramic-picture.html#axzz5MkFID4gS

Thanks, Dave. I wasn't aware of that group. I will lurk there a bit before I decide to join.
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames

Tank

What do the aperture numbers mean?

If a lens has a focal length of 100mm and the front lens is 37mm in diameter the lens has a maximum aperture of 100/37 = 2.8 or f2.8 in tog (photographer) speak.

This ratio is important as if you double 2.8 you get 5.6, then 11 (approximatly) then 22, numbers that are often printed on lenses. So what? Well the area of the aperture halves with each successive step ('stop' in tog speak). This matters because halving the area halves the light transmitted through the lens as the numbers get larger the aperture physically gets smaller. So going from small numbers to larger numbers is called 'Stopping down' the lens.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Dave

Quote from: Tank on July 31, 2018, 08:20:51 AM
What do the aperture numbers mean?

If a lens has a focal length of 100mm and the front lens is 37mm in diameter the lens has a maximum aperture of 100/37 = 2.8 or f2.8 in tog (photographer) speak.

This ratio is important as if you double 2.8 you get 5.6, then 11 (approximatly) then 22, numbers that are often printed on lenses. So what? Well the area of the aperture halves with each successive step ('stop' in tog speak). This matters because halving the area halves the light transmitted through the lens as the numbers get larger the aperture physically gets smaller. So going from small numbers to larger numbers is called 'Stopping down' the lens.

And think of the appeture & exposure as the volume of a "bucket" of light, 1/100 @ f11 is the same light "volume" as 1/50 @ f22 or 1/200 @ f5.6. Old cameras has the ecpisure and f-stop rings adjacent, you could turn them together, so you could easily change the combo for depth of field (smaller f-stop) or fast action (faster exposure) and the compensation was a automatic. DSLRs effectively do the same thing if you set one as priority, the other will adjust to suit. The combination is sometimes called the "Exposure Value" or "EV". The skill comesbin pivking the right values for the subjevt!

Depth of field is an interesting subject to look at scientifically, "circles of confusion" are involved - yeah, I'll agree with that! But it can be used creatively - if you want a picture of, say, a flower without all the other background plants distracting the eye use a large = short depth of field f-stop. With luck the plants in the background will be in soft, or very soft, focus and less noticeable. This may mean a shorter exposure time - great for any movement of the bee on that fliwer, providing you have your focus at the right spot! This is technique that needs a little practice, or extra shots at smaller f-stops to ensure the whole flower is sharp. Some cameras do three shot " EV bracketting".

Actually I find this thread valuable to sharpen up my own knowledge, let alone any tips we give to each other! They say "teaching is the best way of learning," maybe it is the effort of explaining things in understandable terms without spoon feeding.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Tank

What is the shutter speed?

This is probably the simplest thing to understand in photography. The shutter is a mechanism (there are different types) that opens for a set time to let light coming in the lens get to the film (or digital sensor) to capture an image.

The shutter speeds go in steps (like aperture know as stops) that cut the mount of light in half e.g. 1/250th of a second lets in half the light of 1/125th of a second.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Bluenose

#26
For available light (ie no flash) fans like me, wide aperture lenses are the go.  My favourite lens for my Canon EOS 600D* DSLR is the Canon f1.4 50 mm fixed focal length lens.  It lets in plenty of light so it works well in low light conditions and provides good sharp images across the frame.  Having a wide lens means that for the same lighting conditions you can use a faster exposure, which minimises camera shake and subject movement caused blurring.  50 MM is a good all-round general purpose focal length, excellent for portraiture and being fixed focal length it is not subject to some of the image quality issues that come with zoom lenses.  Although to be fair, modern zoom lenses are a far better than some of the ones we used to battle with back in the day!  LOL

* The 600D has a "crop frame" sensor, about 60% the size (width and height) of a 35 mm film frame (other cameras use different ratios).  Some fully professional DSLR cameras have full frame sensors, but they are considerably more expensive.  BTW, crop frame sensors have the additional effect that the equivalent focal length of the lens is greater than for a full frame sensor, so a 50 mm lens on a crop frame camera will produce images roughly equivalent to that of a 80 to 100 mm lens on a full frame camera, depending on the exact size of the sensor.
+++ Divide by cucumber error: please reinstall universe and reboot.  +++

GNU Terry Pratchett


Dave

I had an idea . . .

But I do not have access to a garden at the moment and am not sure what the flower situation is.

The idea is to "bait" a flower with a little honey or syrup, set the camera up on a tripod and see if the bait attracts any beasties.

To keep things well in focus I also thought of cutting a piece of stiff card with a hole at one end to trap it between the camera and tripod plus a clothes peg (maybe padded with a bit of tissue) hotmelt glued to the other to hold the flower stem steady. I may develop this idea into something more robust and flexible.

Tank, could this thread perhaps be changed to ". . . questions, tips and techniques"?
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Tank

Quote from: Dave on August 03, 2018, 11:29:11 AM
...

Tank, could this thread perhaps be changed to ". . . questions, tips and techniques"?

Changed to "Photography technical advice, questions, tips and techniques."
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

hermes2015

I took some photos this morning to illustrate the power of Vibration Reduction (VR), as Nikon calls it, to reduce blur caused by camera shake. This is useful in low light situations when one does not want to use flash or a tripod. I used a Nikon 24-85mm lens, with VR turned on and off, to compare the results. All the photos were taken handheld, at ISO 200. No post-processing sharpening was used.

Shutter speed 0.5 seconds, VR on


Shutter speed 0.5 seconds, VR off


Shutter speed 0.25 seconds, VR on


Shutter speed 0.25 seconds, VR off


I think the results speak for themselves.
The VR system on the lens is VR I. The latest technology (VR II) is reported to work even better.
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames