Discussion
Ok, so this little selection is from my first day out with the 300D.
I think one of the static F40 pics came out well and I quite like the Atom front pic.
Let me know where i was going wrong with the rest though, especially on the panning track pics. I know I didn't have enough reach with my 28-125 IS lens, but I thought the IS should have got rid of a bit more of the blur.
www.nfletcher.plus.com/bedford05022005/
Hi-res available if anybody wants them.
I think one of the static F40 pics came out well and I quite like the Atom front pic.
Let me know where i was going wrong with the rest though, especially on the panning track pics. I know I didn't have enough reach with my 28-125 IS lens, but I thought the IS should have got rid of a bit more of the blur.
www.nfletcher.plus.com/bedford05022005/
Hi-res available if anybody wants them.
Does not work well with the 28-135IS. Some of the other shots are nice. Good work!
trooperiziz said:
Ok, so this little selection is from my first day out with the 300D.
Some very nice shots indeed especially for a first day out.
I noticed that your album appears to includes some of the properties info from the files but I'm a bit puzzled about the info provided. I assume there are values for the Speed set for use and the shutter speed. Is the shutter speed a setting that is controlled by the IS feature on the lens or something in the program chosen? It always seems to be lower than the set speed and, IMHO, way too low to get a decently sharp pan shot without some extreme luck!
Or have I completely misled my self on this?
LongQ said:
trooperiziz said:
Ok, so this little selection is from my first day out with the 300D.
Some very nice shots indeed especially for a first day out.
I noticed that your album appears to includes some of the properties info from the files but I'm a bit puzzled about the info provided. I assume there are values for the Speed set for use and the shutter speed. Is the shutter speed a setting that is controlled by the IS feature on the lens or something in the program chosen? It always seems to be lower than the set speed and, IMHO, way too low to get a decently sharp pan shot without some extreme luck!
Or have I completely misled my self on this?
Ah yes, you see thats because the.... I have no idea....
As you can see I took all the shots in P mode, because I wanted to concentrate more on actually getting a useable pic rather than some of the rubbish I've been getting when mucking about with various settings. Once i've got used to the camera and the actual act of taking a photo, I'll start using my own eye rather than the camera to setup the pics.
The software I used to create the webpage just extracted all the info that was stored with each shot.
I would have read the manual to find out I had to turn of the IS for panning shots, but I don't have a manual
Something to remember for next time. I just found out the engine in the F40 went up in smoke in the afternoon, the owner is a PHer and must be totally gutted.
Oh, and all the shots were at ISO 100.
>> Edited by trooperiziz on Sunday 6th February 00:03
trooperiziz said:
trooperiziz said:
Ok, so this little selection is from my first day out with the 300D.
Some very nice shots indeed especially for a first day out.
I noticed that your album appears to includes some of the properties info from the files but I'm a bit puzzled about the info provided. I assume there are values for the Speed set for use and the shutter speed. Is the shutter speed a setting that is controlled by the IS feature on the lens or something in the program chosen? It always seems to be lower than the set speed and, IMHO, way too low to get a decently sharp pan shot without some extreme luck!
Or have I completely misled my self on this?
Ah yes, you see thats because the.... I have no idea....
As you can see I took all the shots in P mode, because I wanted to concentrate more on actually getting a useable pic rather than some of the rubbish I've been getting when mucking about with various settings. Once i've got used to the camera and the actual act of taking a photo, I'll start using my own eye rather than the camera to setup the pics.
The software I used to create the webpage just extracted all the info that was stored with each shot.
I would have read the manual to find out I had to turn of the IS for panning shots, but I don't have a manual
I just found out the engine in the F40 went up in smoke in the afternoon, the owner is a PHer and must be totally gutted.
Oh, and all the shots were at ISO 100.
Not having a digital SLR (only pocket size digital stuff so far) I'm not sure how much control you can achieve but I agree that some of the special modes seem to compromise the results. And my Pentax manual lists all the options and what they are intended to be for but does not indicate how they are achieved. I guess I could reverse engineer the info by taking some shots and working out what the file properties changed to - but even then I suspect I would only spot half the story.
FWIW if shooting moving targets with 35mm I always try to use at least ISO 400 stock if the day is bright, 800 if it's dull. Haven't tried 1600 for a few years but is used to be far too grainy for use with my lenses.
Those sorts of speeds should mean you can set a shutter priority mode to a minimumm of 1/125th using a short lens, 1/250th if the lens is longer, and still get a reasonable depth of field for the width of the track (people never drive where you want them to!) compared with the distance you are working from.
Likewise most lenses do not offer their best performance wide open or at full stop down. (The latter rarely a problem shooting fast moving cars in my experience!
) The only exception I can think of was some rally stuff where I used 1/60th - mainly 'cos it was pitch black so I was using a large flash unit and had to work with the flash sync speed.
But you probably know all this already ... my excuse is that I am planning to be out with the kit tomorrow and this is a good way of reminding myself what I need to remember.
I had the same problem the first time I tried to shoot any "action" - shutter speeds too long so the movement becomes blur in the picture.
Maybe next time shoot in "S" mode and set a fast shutter speed, and the camera will take care of the rest. Then when you are a bit more confident, you can go to manual mode.
Maybe next time shoot in "S" mode and set a fast shutter speed, and the camera will take care of the rest. Then when you are a bit more confident, you can go to manual mode.
Some useful tips I've found when shooting panning shots are:
1) If your camera struggles with autofocus when tracking a moving subject (and even the quickest cameras like the 1D won't always get a 100% hit rate), you can set the lens to manual focus, and pre-focus on the bit of track where you think the car will be.
2) Experiment with lower shutter speeds to get a nice blur to the background and also to the wheels. You should be able to go down to 1/60s or slower with the 28-135 lens, and I've had some sharp images with a 600mm lens using shutter speeds like 1/125s or lower. On a Canon, set the camera to Tv mode, and set the shutter speed manually - the camera will work out the correct aperture.
3) Stand with your feet in a nice solid position, with your body face on to where your subject will be when you take the photo. Move your upper body to the right (if the subject is moving right to left) and pick up the car before it gets to where you want to photograph it. Once you've picked it up in the viewfinder, swivel your body round in a smooth action, and press the shutter, then continue to move your body round.
Practice lots of times, and make a note of what settings give you the results you like.
Hope this helps!
1) If your camera struggles with autofocus when tracking a moving subject (and even the quickest cameras like the 1D won't always get a 100% hit rate), you can set the lens to manual focus, and pre-focus on the bit of track where you think the car will be.
2) Experiment with lower shutter speeds to get a nice blur to the background and also to the wheels. You should be able to go down to 1/60s or slower with the 28-135 lens, and I've had some sharp images with a 600mm lens using shutter speeds like 1/125s or lower. On a Canon, set the camera to Tv mode, and set the shutter speed manually - the camera will work out the correct aperture.
3) Stand with your feet in a nice solid position, with your body face on to where your subject will be when you take the photo. Move your upper body to the right (if the subject is moving right to left) and pick up the car before it gets to where you want to photograph it. Once you've picked it up in the viewfinder, swivel your body round in a smooth action, and press the shutter, then continue to move your body round.
Practice lots of times, and make a note of what settings give you the results you like.
Hope this helps!
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