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Digital SLR / DSLR Camera Question / DSLR Thread 2

Damn! The D70 on Craigslist I've had my sights on for the last 24 hours got snapped up! So I am once again reevaluating.

If you had to choose:

- New Nikon D40, $500 (incl. 18-55 kit lens)
- Used Nikon D70(s), $450-500 (incl. Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX kit lens)

The D70 is much older and doesn't have the quality of the D40 (??) but comes with a much (??) better kit lens and has an Autofocus motor built in, among other features. :confused
 
VeloceMoto said:
Wtf, I just walked down the street to check out a D40 in person. In addition to trying to sell me a Sony I didn't want, he said a 50mm/1.8 is unnecessary and duplicative, since the *kit lens does the same thing*. :loco :wtf

Save my $100??

WTF.
Click to expand...

Um, the guys sounds like a prat.

The lens the D40 comes with is an F3.5-F5.6. Sure, the focal length CAN be made to be exactly 50mm, but the max aperture is most likely F4.0 when zoomed to 50mm. Not exactly a 'fast' lens, to put it politely.

My stock Canon lens is an 18-55, but it's still worth getting the 50 because it's SO much faster - f1.8 for sub $100? Count me in...
 
Ian, in the 21st century they don't say ASA. They call it ISO. You are confusing all the young'uns :twofinger
 
m_asim said:
Ian, in the 21st century they don't say ASA. They call it ISO. You are confusing all the young'uns :twofinger
Click to expand...

Lawl.


VeloceMoto: Be like Bap almost was: D60


Well...for candid....use film. Like the physical kind, that you get developed.
I loves me a good 35mm P&S for fast/street stuff (Yashica T4, Olympus XA and XA2 (true rangefinder vs. zone focus), Contax T2, Olympus Stylus Epic, etc.)

Edit: Can't forget the Minolta TC-1
Though, these P&S's can start costing as much as a new DSLR. :drool

Also, for street/candid stuff (especially of strangers), people seem to take you much less seriously with a P&S rather than sticking a huge SLR in their face, which can mean a much more organic/natural shot. Or not having a stranger be pissed off at you.
 
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VeloceMoto said:
Yeah I wondered... How do you deal with that?

...zoom? :confused :laughing
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Let them be pissed. I have gotten a few glares (rarely) but I've never had anybody approach me and say anything. Sometimes the funniest pictures are when they spot you in the instant between your decision to snap the shutter and the actual photo.
 
I did it!

I bought a used D70 last night for a really good price and it came with the 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX lens. After playing around with it for about 15 minutes last night, it's wayyy more camera than I can use right now--perfect, just what I wanted. I'll be able to grow into it and learn a lot, I'm sure.
 
Congrats :thumbup

I'm anxiously waiting for my camera to show up at work today :)
 
Baptistro said:
Can you guys share some settings that I will find useful?

I prefer candid shots, so capturing objects/people clearly while motion is important. Also, obviously, indoor and outdoor shots of kids in various conditions.

Perhaps someone would be willing to write up a quick start guide to camera settings?

Yeah, I'm sure I could find this info elsewhere, but if I can't count on BARFers, who can I count on? :p
Click to expand...


I find the thing to shooting candids is to anticipate moments. You can start by simply observing kids interact with each other. When you begin to see images you'd like to capture, start shooting. I find it really helps too to shoot children and critters from their level and not from above, the adult's view. Also if you have something to say in those images, then you're being a photographer and not just somebody with a camera taking pictures.

Camera settings are dependent on lighting conditions and lens choice. Using higher ISOs (800, 1600, 3200) is appropriate in low light when flash would overpower a moment or mood. When I shoot at ISO 1600 or 3200 and am handholding, I tend to shoot with the lens wide open and whatever appropriate speed that doesn't exceed the focal length of the lens. If you need a tripod and don't have one, any level surface, even the floor, will do. Plus if the image comes out a tad underexposed/overexposed, PS Camera Raw (or whatever software you use) can fix it (to a point).
 
Noob question: what controls depth-of-field? The aperture? I thought that controlled the amount of light, not the focus.
 
VeloceMoto,

Yes, depth-of-field is controlled via aperture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperture). I have exactly the same camera as you do and trust me one on fact: It is an awesome camera for any beginner given the fact that it is cheap now. If you want to get a quick start, set the camera into the aperture mode by turning the left knob until A matches the selection. In this case you will set the aperture and the camera will detect the best shutter speed for you. For most of the pictures you want to use F7, F8 or F9 since that is where lenses are sharper. Get a tripod and learn how to use the camera on a tripod and that way you don't have to worry about shutter speed. To avoid jerking the camera get a remote control or use a timer. Compose the picture, set the timer and you're done :) That way you don't have to touch the camera.

Lesson #1. Take the same picture with different aperture settings to see what is going on.

Lesson #2. Learn how to use GIMP or Photoshop.

Lesson #3. Calibrate your monitor so the color adjustments that you do show up on prints exactly the way they show up on the monitor that you use for work.

I think that you'll be all set. One more thing, you should probably get an extra battery and a card reader that you will use to upload data into the computer. If you don't use the card reader, the camera's battery will drain fast. You will need an extra battery if you want to shoot in colder weather (batteries drain fast as well). Finally if you plan to ride and take pictures invest in a good backpack and figure out how to mount the tripod to your Superhawk.
 
Big aperture means only things at the focal length will be in focus.

Small aperture means everything in the frame will be in focus.

Think of it like this - by forcing all the light through a single point, it *has* to be in focus. You can't get light from one subject, on several places on the sensor (or film).

But with a big aperture, the light from an object can be spread over a large area.

Draw it on a piece of paper to help visualize it. Draw a sensor, and object, and an aperture, then draw lines going through the top and bottom of the hole.

Lemme see if I can find a diagram.

And yes, it changes the light, so, small aperture=long shutter speed, for a given overall exposure.
 
pinhole.jpg
 
vman said:
VeloceMoto,

Yes, depth-of-field is controlled via aperture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperture). I have exactly the same camera as you do and trust me one on fact: It is an awesome camera for any beginner given the fact that it is cheap now. If you want to get a quick start, set the camera into the aperture mode by turning the left knob until A matches the selection. In this case you will set the aperture and the camera will detect the best shutter speed for you. For most of the pictures you want to use F7, F8 or F9 since that is where lenses are sharper. Get a tripod and learn how to use the camera on a tripod and that way you don't have to worry about shutter speed. To avoid jerking the camera get a remote control or use a timer. Compose the picture, set the timer and you're done :) That way you don't have to touch the camera.

Lesson #1. Take the same picture with different aperture settings to see what is going on.

Lesson #2. Learn how to use GIMP or Photoshop.

Lesson #3. Calibrate your monitor so the color adjustments that you do show up on prints exactly the way they show up on the monitor that you use for work.

I think that you'll be all set. One more thing, you should probably get an extra battery and a card reader that you will use to upload data into the computer. If you don't use the card reader, the camera's battery will drain fast. You will need an extra battery if you want to shoot in colder weather (batteries drain fast as well). Finally if you plan to ride and take pictures invest in a good backpack and figure out how to mount the tripod to your Superhawk.
Click to expand...

:thumbup

I was going to ask what is the best way to gradually learn, since there are a ton of variables to learn and adjust when shooting full manual.
 
OK, so, here's a clearer pic (I hope).

The red line is as though the aperture is tiny - the light can only go to ONE spot on the sensor.

The green lines represent the widest the light from the object can go, if the aperture is bigger. The pink lines represent the width of a 'large' aperture in comparison to a pinhole.

The lens focuses the light from all objects at a specific distance, regardless of aperture.

But a smaller aperture means that even the things not at the focal distance, will be 'in focus' simply because the light cannot spread through the tiny aperture.

Hope that helps.
 

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Joebar4000 said:
OK, so, here's a clearer pic (I hope).

The red line is as though the aperture is tiny - the light can only go to ONE spot on the sensor.

The green lines represent the widest the light from the object can go, if the aperture is bigger. The pink lines represent the width of a 'large' aperture in comparison to a pinhole.

The lens focuses the light from all objects at a specific distance, regardless of aperture.

But a smaller aperture means that even the things not at the focal distance, will be 'in focus' simply because the light cannot spread through the tiny aperture.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

I thought I understood the concept until I saw your diagram. :laughing

...now I think I get it after staring at it for a few minutes. :)
 
OK, how about this one :teeth Less junk on there.

Tried to make the green area on the 'film' blurry looking, which is how it would appear.

The lines aren't exactly correct, but hopefully you get the gist.

With a small aperture, the light from the object can only appear in ONE place on the film

With a wider aperture, it can spread out. It's blurry because you're getting light from the object in a spread over the film - it all gets mixed up with all the other light from all the other objects, all overlapping.

The lens focusses this spread light, but only for objects at a specific distance... the smaller the aperture, the more things are 'in focus', even though really, you're just restricting the spread of light, not actually focussing more things.
 

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