Photography Nuts & Bolts

[PanBiker]

My book arrived on Monday, second hand but you couldn't tell.

I have worked my way through the first chapter which presents all the buttons and features they control. I have to say it makes a lot more sense than the manual! Well presented although obviously a U.S. production as they don't know how to spell colour. The tips for short cuts and how to get quickly to the main features for each mode are particularly good, well presented in a structured form and easy to follow. I'm doing a bit at at a time with the camera at hand to try out the stuff. I reckon it's £7.79 well spent.

[Stanley]

You shame me Ian. I should do the same with my Nikon D200.....

[PanBiker]

I don't think they do a Dummies Guide for the Nikon D200 but there are a few other third party training guides available on World of Books.

World of Books - Nikon D200

I had a look on ABE Books as well they have quite a few guides that are published in Germany.

[Stanley]

I don't think I'll bother Ian thanks. I have enough trouble with my engine drawings!

[PanBiker]

Aha, but the whole point of these publications is that they present the information in a simpler form which is more easily understood.

During my time in electronics I have read circuit descriptions that are more like GCHQ cryptic puzzles and many that will make your eyes water. I have related the case of the younger amplifiers before as one example. The first JVC VHS video recorder had six microprocessors sprinkled throughout the machine all doing different control processes but they tagged them all as IC1 with no reference to which part of the circuit they lived in.

Technical drawings will be no different, only as good as the bloke that drew them and probably a different bloke that wrote the description.

Anyway, I'm on to chapter two now which is covering basic picture settings outside of the automatic modes.

[PanBiker]

Playing about:

[Big Kev]

Playing about:

I love moving water and slow shutter speeds, nice one Ian.

[PanBiker]

Thanks Kev, exposure is not balanced though between background and foreground, should have waited for a cloud. Problem is, it was a cloudless sky at the time.

[Big Kev]

Thanks Kev, exposure is not balanced though between background and foreground, should have waited for a cloud. Problem is, it was a cloudless sky at the time.

You could have 'bracketed' +/- a couple of stops either way and manipulated the image in a post processing programme

[PanBiker]

I shot it in Raw, problem is I don't know what I am doing with the Canon Software either yet. I don't have Photoshop or anything posh like that.

Cue Tiz now to suggest using Gimp. I will pre-empt that and download it now.

[Big Kev]

I shot it in Raw, problem is I don't know what I am doing with the Canon Software either yet. I don't have Photoshop or anything posh like that.

Cue Tiz now to suggest using Gimp. I will pre-empt that and download it now.

You might have enough latitude in the RAW image to recover the detail in the foreground if it's there. Rule of thumb is you can recover data from an underexposed RAW image easier than from an overexposed one.
I presume the Canon software has a RAW editor? In the RAW editor?, if you adjust the exposure for the background and save that as image 1, then adjust the exposure for the foreground and save as image 2.
Not sure on the capabilities of Gimp but you should be able to open the 2 images as layers in the same work window, using a soft eraser brush remove the bits you don't want from the layer that's on top. I trust that makes sense?

[PanBiker]

Yes Kev, the Canon software does have an editor for Raw. Post production software from whatever stable is just another kettle of fish if you have never used it before. I think in the main, the best plan would be to try to take a good image in the first place.

[PostmanPete]

Lovely photo Ian. I have always loved photos of moving water too. What shutter speed/aperture did you use?

I have used manual cameras since I was in my teens, starting with a Zenith E that my Dad bought me. The lens was great quality but the Russian internal mechanics eventually gave up...! I progressed onto a Contax I and Contax II before going semi automatic with a Yashica Electro 35 GTS. I then moved to Olympus starting with an Olympus Trip and Olympus Pen (half frame) then an Olympus c-8080 which I still have. I treated myself to a Panasonic Lumix LX100 when I retired from Royal Mail which I can use in manual mode as I wanted a camera that had a fair amount of creative control but would still fit in my (large) pocket.

[PanBiker]

I was trying various settings as I haven't had the camera all that long. Revisiting SLR's after a long gap from 35mm film. Pentax was my last 35mm.

I think that one was taken RAW at ISO 100 - f/18 - 1/2 sec shutter. I was just using shutter priority so the aperture and ISO were auto set.

Camera is further up the thread but it's a Canon Rebel T3i / EOS600 D - Stock Lens - 18/55mm AF and IS

[PostmanPete]

I was trying various settings as I haven't had the camera all that long. Revisiting SLR's after a long gap from 35mm film.

It's an atmospheric photo though and that's what matters the most. My first digital camera had 330,000 pixels and the photos were more like cartoon drawings...! It's amazing how digital has caught up with film quality over the years.

[PanBiker]

Indeed, the EOS 600D has 18Mp but is a relatively old camera now in the tech stakes.

Currently looking for another compact camera for Sally. Her Panasonic Lumix has turned it's toes up with what is seen as a stock fault of Zoom Error. Wont switch on, lens stays retracted, sometimes it throws a focus error for good measure. We had it repaired for exactly the same fault when it was about 2 years old. Cost about £80 + vat. I have checked the repair centre again and the prices are still the same £40 for labour + parts + VAT. I think they need to replace the lens servo drive mechanism. Don't feel like repeating the exercise as it's over 6 years old now. She has liked the camera as it has a good Leica lens (when it works) and 30 x optical zoom + I think 4 x digital. She takes anything up to 50 or so photo's a day when she goes out walking so needs something with comparable or better features.

Can't run to a new one at the moment as we have our bathroom rework on the horizon. I am watching quite a few on Ebay and looking for a good Buy it Now or a reasonable price at auction. Want to find something about the price of the repair or just over so around the £100 mark. Looked at slightly later Lumix but most have rocked on to £150 or more some buy it now's at £250 etc. Watching a few Canons and some from Sony.

30 x zoom, above 12Mp, viewfinder not required and not a bridge camera.

[PostmanPete]

I've a Canon S90 in a cupboard which used to be my 'go to' camera if Sally would like to try it out. It is a lower spec than she wants (10Mp sensor and only x3.8 zoom) but because of Canons' Digic 4 processor it gave me superb quality images which I could heavily crop if I used a low ISO (up to 400) This would counteract the limited optical zoom to some extent. Also it fits easily into a small pocket ("The best camera is the one you have with you" - Who said that...?)

There is a review of the camera at -

www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/canon-powershot-s90

Have a read and PM me if she would like to give it a try.

[PanBiker]

That's a very good offer Pete and thanks very much.We are not short of spares for her to use in the interim and we actually have a small 10Mp Canon with 3.3 zoom. She is currently using a small Fuji which has similar spec and we could find the charger and leads etc that went with it. That was her camera before we got the Panasonic so its an old friend.

[PostmanPete]

I remember thinking for years that I needed a long optical zoom with my cameras but being converted to liking wide angle lenses more by reading lots of photography books and online photography blogs. I believe also that some camera manufacturers went too far in the race for more Megapixels by putting 20MP+ on tiny sensors. I think that fewer megapixels give a better quality image on these small sensors.

I know Sally walks a lot so would going for less zoom range be better for her landscape photos as well as better for your wallet..!

[Tizer]

For about 10 years I've been using my Canon Powershot G11, particularly for geology and mineralogy and close up shots of my mineral and rock specimens. A great camera although a bit bulkier and heavier than the average compact. Along the way we got a lighter and smaller Canon Powershot SX610HS for general use and have found that excellent too. Mrs Tiz takes it on her organised trips abroad and comes back with photos that make me envious! I think Stanley has the same model and is happy with it as far as I know.

[PanBiker]

Decision made, moved to the Canon stable with a little used PowerShot SX170 IS 16.0MP Compact Digital.

It has x 16 optical zoom and 4 x digital, 5 - 80mm wide lens. Some degree of bridge control as well with P/TV/AE and M modes available as well as the normal auto and pre-set scene modes. It has all of its accessories and its original box plus an extra SD card.

[Tripps]

Till reading this thread - I didn't know there were cameras that could be linked to a PC via Wifi. That sound good. No more sending youself an email etc.

Now just need to fight off the urge to get one, and continue with my current cohort of needlessly bought cameras. I shall probably fail.

[Stanley]

That sounds very similar to my everyday camera, an sx610 Powershot. Like it's predecessor it has been a workhorse in the shed with dust and muck for I think about 3 years now. Tell Sally it should stand up to any abuse she cares to dish out, it won't be as bad as the shed!

[PanBiker]

Sally's new to her camera was delivered this afternoon. Hard to tell it from a new one. It was complete with battery and charger and a spare SD card. The one currently installed is the larger and will give her 3700 photos at maximum resolution, that should do. It didn't have a USB cable but we have a drawer full of those so no real problem to find a compatible one. It's currently on its first outing so we'll see how she gets on.

[Big Kev]

Good stuff.