Hot answers tagged camera-settings
19
Yes, professionals do use auto mode.
Professional paparazzi use auto mode almost exclusively and will sometimes even tape up the controls on the camera to prevent any settings being accidentally altered. You don't have to know how to shoot manual to make money out of photography, if for example you know which restaurants which celebrities go to...
Other ...
18
This is normal because in the day time, the sky is usually the brightest part of the scene.
If you lower the exposure by applying negative exposure compensation, your sky will get darker and more blue. This will cause other elements in the image to darken and some may end under-exposed. This is because a change in exposure is global.
What you need is to ...
15
Have you heard about the "sunny 16" rule? (In bright sunlight, when you set your aperture to f/16, the shutter speed is 1/ISO).
I just checked, I've set my camera to f/16, 1/100, ISO 100 and pointed it to an object in direct sunlight and the meter showed -1/3, I then used an iPhone app to find the corresponding rule for open shadow, pointed the camera at ...
12
This comes down to software patents — not on dates, but in a way that limits filenames. The only filesystem which is widely available and cross-platform is FAT, the venerable Microsoft DOS filesystem. It works on both old and new versions of Windows, worked on OS/2, works on Macs, works on Linux, and there are plenty of embedded implementations for the mini ...
11
Image size is what if often called resolution, basically the number of pixels stored in the image file. So on a 12 megapixel camera, you can usually choose between 12 MP, 6 MP and 3 MP or similar values.
Image quality is independent of size and is usually called compression. This controls how much information is discarded from images while they are saved.
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10
"Auto" can mean a wide range of things.
Most DSLRs offer a "full auto" facility that tends to manage shutter speed, aperture, ISO and more. But most of the modes on a DSLR that are other than absolute manual mode offer a substantial automated component. And even "Manual" may have auto features lurking in the shadows (literally in some cases).
Your friends ...
9
Without a tripod you will have to have a very steady hand to make real use of the length of your 70-200mm, so I would go with the 24-70mm. The wider end will allow you to take in the majority of buildings and the tele end will let you zoom in on features.
There is little point in using Shutter Priority when photographing static subjects. You will be much ...
9
The halogen work lights are a common DIY substitute for more expensive photograhic "hot lights" (such as the Lowel Tota-Lite or the Ianiro RedHead) -- you can usually pick up a 250 or 500 watt fixture with bulbs for under $50 rather than spending hundreds on the "real deal". They're usually much lower temperature than photographic lights, but filters (with ...
9
Three things:
Practice. Make the adjustments you need second nature, so you can make them with thought only to why you want to make the change, not how to do it.
Don't take your eyes away from the finder to make adjustments, if you can at all help it.
Get a camera with good dedicated controls, because #2 is impossible when everything is menu-driven.
I ...
9
A pop-up flash has barely enough power to work indoors of a residential space; in larger rooms, professional photographers have practical reasons why they carry separate large flashguns. The Puffer, whilst making the light slightly less harsh and therefore more pleasing, does it so at the expense of chewing the power even further down.
So, your gear is ...
8
It is simply a convention because 30s was deemed a reasonable limit. Nikon, Pentax and Sony all use 30s but Olympus uses 60s. Panasonic uses 60s on most camera but up to 250s.
As you can tell by the presence of Bulb mode, most cameras can do more. Olympus limits theirs to 30 minutes to avoid the sensor over-heating or building up too much noise. Other ...
7
As others have noted, much of what's going on in this image is about light, but folks seem to be really over-thinking it. It's kind of a habit we photographers get into after learning a few tricks and acquiring (or lusting after) a bit of gear.
The main light for this shot is overhead, and the effect on the subject is relatively soft. Now, it could be that ...
7
I believe that like everything professional, this is just a matter of practice. Assuming that ...
The number of independent variables for setting the camera is not really big,
We are talking about a limited field of interest (i.e., street, food, portrait etc..),
When you say "visualize exactly" you give some tolerance for the "exactly" part,
... then a ...
7
In such situations i would usually be in Aperture priority mode instead of Manual
I set my ISO setting to Auto to let the camera compensate for any wrong settings for aperture or shutter speed (refer to this question for the advantages and disadvantages of auto ISO).
Also i would set the metering mode to spot metering to get what i want in the right ...
7
Aperture: Use the maximum aperture (F1.8 if possible)
Shutter Speed: Use the 600/(focal length * crop Factor)rule so as to not see star trails (Refer here in section 3. Camera settings).
ISO: Highest possible for your camera that you find acceptable.
Milky Way? You can use the application: Stellarium to find out if you are in the right time / place to view ...
7
When shooting any sort of fast action, shutter speed is paramount -- it's the reason you've got shutter-priority mode. In general, you're going to optimize for shutter speed when you're shooting anything in motion, giving up ISO first, and then aperture if needed in order to get the shutter speed you want. This is where your compromises start, because a ...
7
The reason most cameras don't store files by data and time is simply because no one wrote the code in the camera's software to do so.
One possible reason nobody wrote that code is that the date/time format is illegal according to the DCF standard that describes how cameras should store images for compatibility with other cameras, viewing devices and ...
6
Quality refers to the level of JPEG compression used. JPEG images use lossy compression to reduce filesizes. The compression method converts the image into a frequency representation (a set of waves instead of a set of pixels) and removes frequencies whose amplitude are below a certain threshold, on the assumption that missing these will affect image quality ...
6
I've tried the same thing on my 5DmkII and it works fine for me: the aperture, shutter speed, ISO and WB I set in M mode are still there when the camera's auto-powered off and been re-awoken. I'm on firmware 2.0.8, and I have auto power-off set to 1 minute.
Not sure if it's helpful to mention, but what you've described is exactly what I get if I'm in one of ...
6
Yeah you can do that, as you can "feel" the right parameters to apply for any kind of technical instrumentation using several parameters. It even works for ovens or toasters! You can always manage to reach the point where your guess concerning the right parameters to apply is pretty good and at least good enough to not use light meters or the like.
This is ...
6
Most P&S I have used does amazing jobs with the built-in presets (Scene modes)! Though most people think the presets are targeted towards amateurs, but trust me they are not! The companies have invested heavy amount of research and money to configure these presets often using real life feedback from very experienced photographers. So I'd not ...
6
The most significant factor that affects dynamic-range captured by the sensor is ISO. The higher the ISO, the lower the dynamic range. So to maximize dynamic-range you have to shoot at the native ISO of your camera. Longer exposures can add very slightly more noise as the sensor heats up but if you compare this to the loss of dynamic-range from using a ...
6
Lens doesn't matter much. Exposures will likely be long, on the order of a second or so, even with a fast lens, so use whatever you have. A zoom can be handy if you want to do abstract stuff (see below)
I would suggest you set the camera to Manual exposure. Otherwise the camera will try to make all your images look like daytime. Start with aperture at ...
6
This is a bit of a tough question, as it depends on several factors. I would in fact say that there is no possible general answer to this question.
When moving at typical vehicular speeds, the shutter speed is selected to stop motion, in this case, the photographer's motion. When you're moving at these speeds, objects closer to you appear to be moving ...
6
Buy a Pentax :) It is one of my favorite features. You can specify which setting is remembered each time the camera powers on and I have mine reset EC, WB, ISO, Drive mode among other things. In this way, each time I turn on my camera, I know what setting it will be at.
It is surprising this feature has not made it elsewhere which some Minolta cameras also ...
5
It depends on your definition of exposure. Exposure is the overall amount of light that falls on the film or sensor. So by that definition, if you have a fixed shutter speed, then if you use a wider aperture, you'll let in more light, so you will increase the exposure. A narrower aperture opening will let in less light, so less exposure.
Keep in mind ...
5
Yes, in general with enough experience you can look at a scene and judge the settings. You wont be exactly right all of the time, but you'll be close a vast majority of the time. It's part experience, part learning not to trust your eyes.
There's a finite number of situations to deal with as human beings have a limited window of light levels that are ...
5
Please don't be afraid of higher ISO settings. While it's true that ISO 6400 is a bit much for the 600D (and ISO 12800 is for emergencies only, like surveillance or "get the shot or else" photojournalism), ISO 1600 is perfectly OK on the 600D and ISO 3200 will clean up acceptably.
Remember: look at the picture, not at the pixels. It will make you a much ...
5
It sounds like you are pretty new to photography so I'll keep this as easy as I can:
Light is your friend, darkness is your enemy :)
Push your ISO up as high as you are comfortable with - ISO 1600 or 3200
Open up your variable aperture as wide as possible(use Av priority mode) - f/3.5-5.6
Use a flash or additional lighting as much as possible
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