Spyderman said:
Jack,

This is my first time out with my new camera, shot in jpeg not RAW, as I don't know what I'm doing with that yet. it's just set to idiot. I take a lot of this type of image, what would give better results?

Click to expand...

It would look far better if she was naked, and sitting on my todger.... Apart from that, it's a great pic :D If you wanted the background more blurred, make sure the apeture is as far open as possible, although I'm not sure what that lens is capable of ;)
 
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and to do that, set the camera to apeture prioty mode, usually A on the dial on top.

Now F1 is fully open, and F22 is almost fully closed. It is very expensive to make a lens that opens all the way to F1 (thousands usually) so often you will find the most a particular lens will open is 2.0 to 3.5 ish

General rule is the more open the lens is, the shallower the depth of field (more blurred backbround). The other factor that contributes is the focal length, so if you have a zoom, stand further back and use all the zoom to get a more blurred background.

8-aperture-settings-photos-canon-50mm-lens.jpg



and for my next tutorial, how to change a transfer box on a landy.... just kidding, I don't know how to do that :D
 
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Booger said:
Brett just been on your photobucket, can't see any new pics, apart from Rufus (my basset hound) :D
Click to expand...

The pic of Rufus is such a quality image, I want to use that as a reference to see how close I can get.:D

Photo was taken with a Canon 60D with this lens http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/EF_Lenses/EF-S/EF-S_18-200mm_f3.5-5.6_IS/

This is the info from the shot, whatever all this means?

File Name IMG_6224.JPG
Camera Model Canon EOS 60D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.9
Shooting Date/Time 23/10/2011 18:53:30
Owner's Name
Shooting Mode Auto
Lighting or Scene Default setting
Ambience Standard setting
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/60
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 400
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF-S18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3831x3111
Image Quality Fine
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
E-TTL II flash metering Evaluative flash metering
Flash Exposure Compensation 0
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 3
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 0:Off
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Standard
Highlight tone priority 0:Disable
Auto Lighting Optimizer 0:Standard
Peripheral illumination correction Enable
File Size 1687KB
Drive Mode Single shooting
Live View Shooting OFF
Camera Body No. 1280640095
Comment


I use Flickr! as well.


IMG_6224 by brett1403, on Flickr
 
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Spyderman said:
The pic of Rufus is such a quality image, I want to use that as a reference to see how close I can get.:D

Photo was taken with a Canon 60D with this lens Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS - EF-S - Canon UK

This is the info from the shot, whatever all this means?

File Name IMG_6224.JPG
Camera Model Canon EOS 60D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.9
Shooting Date/Time 23/10/2011 18:53:30
Owner's Name
Shooting Mode Auto
Lighting or Scene Default setting
Ambience Standard setting
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/60
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 400
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF-S18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3831x3111
Image Quality Fine
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
E-TTL II flash metering Evaluative flash metering
Flash Exposure Compensation 0
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 3
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 0:Off
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Standard
Highlight tone priority 0:Disable
Auto Lighting Optimizer 0:Standard
Peripheral illumination correction Enable
File Size 1687KB
Drive Mode Single shooting
Live View Shooting OFF
Camera Body No. 1280640095
Comment


I use Flickr! as well.


IMG_6224 by brett1403, on Flickr
Click to expand...



Anyway, the quality of the Basset Hound is all about the camera, if you are willing to spend £1200 on a lens with no zoom you'll get the same results.

Your pics are great, glad to see you have a 60D, because those pics were a little to good for a 600D class cam :D Ironically looking at your large collection of nice clear/sharp pics, is making me question my choice of going a cheaper simpler route :D
 
Last edited:
Spyderman said:
The pic of Rufus is such a quality image, I want to use that as a reference to see how close I can get.:D

Photo was taken with a Canon 60D with this lens Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS - EF-S - Canon UK

This is the info from the shot, whatever all this means?

File Name IMG_6224.JPG
Camera Model Canon EOS 60D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.9
Shooting Date/Time 23/10/2011 18:53:30
Owner's Name
Shooting Mode Auto
Lighting or Scene Default setting
Ambience Standard setting
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/60
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 400
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF-S18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Focal Length 50.0mm
Image Size 3831x3111
Image Quality Fine
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
E-TTL II flash metering Evaluative flash metering
Flash Exposure Compensation 0
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 3
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 0:Off
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Standard
Highlight tone priority 0:Disable
Auto Lighting Optimizer 0:Standard
Peripheral illumination correction Enable
File Size 1687KB
Drive Mode Single shooting
Live View Shooting OFF
Camera Body No. 1280640095
Comment


I use Flickr! as well.


IMG_6224 by brett1403, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Well that's a good pic, don't think it can improved that much, you can see the apeture is at f5.0, and the focal length is 50mm.

Your lens is 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6, which means that at 18mm, the most you can open it is f/3.5. At 200mm the most you can open it, is f5.6.

So I would guess that at 50mm the most you can open is probably f4.0, but that is a guess because I don't know that lens. So you could potetentially open the lens a little more, but I don't know how much that would affect the image quality/depth of field.

The only way to find out, is get one of your kids to sit still, then set the camera to apeture priority mode, then take a series of pics, at minimum zoom, at every setting from f/3.5 to f/22. Then zoom in a bit and repeat, then zoom in a bit more and repeat. By the end you will know your lens quite well.

What can I say, you need to be quite an anorak to take photography seriously :D
spacer.gif


P.S. Put the cam on a tripod for consistant results, and maybe don't use a kid, use something that doesn't move, like a toy kid...
 
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Booger, A lot of the older pics on Flickr! are taken with my Sony HX5, although it's a great pocket sized camera, especially like the sweep panorama & GPS functions, the quality of the Canon is way better.

I was gas bagging to one of the few paps that uses Canon rather than the usual Nikon, he said because it had a CMOS-C sensor rather than full size, that I should go for a 35mm prime lens rather than a 50mm. What do you think?
 
Spyderman said:
Booger, A lot of the older pics on Flickr! are taken with my Sony HX5, although it's a great pocket sized camera, especially like the sweep panorama & GPS functions, the quality of the Canon is way better.

I was gas bagging to one of the few paps that uses Canon rather than the usual Nikon, he said because it had a CMOS-C sensor rather than full size, that I should go for a 35mm prime lens rather than a 50mm. What do you think?
Click to expand...


Yes I went back as far as that pic of the flying truck cab that caused such a rukus :D So I knew that some of those pice were from you old cam ;)

Quite right on the prime, APS C has a crop of 1.6, which is 1.6 the size of a full frame (35mm) sensor, and means to get the equivalent 35mm focal length, times by 1.6.

Of course 35mm x 1.6 = 56.

So a 35mm on a 60D is almost exactly the same as a 50mm on a full frame.

And the hello kitty cam has a crop of 2, with means the sensor is half the size of a full frame, so times by 2 to get full frame equivalent.

And to get the equivalent lens on that, I would go for the 25mm Leica Lens :D
 
Of course every time I even say Hello Kitty, it's like stabbing a voodoo doll of Jack in the neck....


Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty Hello Kitty

:hysterically_laughi
 
Brett sorry I honestly thought you were trying to trick me as the image appeared as a red x lol!!

Why do you need a new lens atm? Your 18-200 does can be set at 28 35 50 or whatever you like from 18 to 200. Of course it would be great to get better quality but imho you should learn the kit you have atm and buy more lenses when you know what you want. Taking a guess at what focal length you need would be foolish.

I end up saying this to everyone, the best way to learn about the technical side of photography is to buy a good thick colour book which explains it all.

I will find some links for you
 
Maybe we should start a photography thread after all :rolleyes:

Brett, this series of books by Chris Weston are fantastic.
I would recommend this book to start you off: Mastering Your Digital SLR: How to Get the Most Out of Your Digital Camera (Book) by Chris Weston (2009): Waterstones.com
That will keep you occupied for a while and if you want to learn more, these two are great, I have the 2nd:
Mastering Filters for Photography (Book) by Chris Weston (2009): Waterstones.com
Mastering Digital Exposure and HDR Imaging: Understanding the Next Generation of Digital Cameras (Book) by Chris Weston (2008): Waterstones.com
 
Spyderman said:
Seems to be that the lens choice at 35mm is either eye wateringly expensive or budget, there's no middle ground choice like in the 50mm.

I also looked at this 28mm one, again it's one of Canon's mid range lens. What do you think? Don't really want to spend more that about £600.

Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM - Wide angle - Canon UK
Click to expand...

Just read the reviews, general consensus is that it's a good lens for the money, and they only way to go better, is to spend alot more dosh.. which is what u said :D

Also nearly everyone who has bought one loves it... so get out you Credit Card and go shopping :D Or rather wait to see if Jack concurs... ;)

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bhphotovideo.com.gif
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars by 122 users at B&H Photo Video
 
Posted by me 23 August...




Booger said:
A good book is always an idea, when I got my first DSLR I got this...

Mastering Your Digital SLR revised edition : How to Get the Most Out of Your Digital Camera: Amazon.co.uk: Chris Weston: Books


I would give it to you, but I already gave it to a pretty girl :rolleyes: Books are cool cause you can referring back to them, it's easy to forget stuff you learn on a course... I suppose you could just keep phoning Jack up...

and whoose Kack ? :D
Click to expand...


And Kack what the hell are you doing here, supposed to be in Scotland :D
 
I just thought that the lens would be better for what I do at films, also a lot less bulky to cart around, they can be picked up new for about £360, which isn't too bad.
 
This video has so much wrong with it but he does explain things clearly :D:D

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk78nH3d8hU]Aperture Shutter Speed and ISO, Photography 101 - YouTube[/ame]

Once you have watched that, have a play around with this:

CameraSim simulates a digital SLR camera - SLR Photography Demystified

And then try something similar with your own camera.

More help explaining depth of field (controlled by changing your aperture):

A Detailed Explanation of Depth-of-field and the Factors That Affect It
 
Spyderman said:
I just thought that the lens would be better for what I do at films, also a lot less bulky to cart around, they can be picked up new for about £360, which isn't too bad.
Click to expand...

It will be better, and it is less bulky, buy it :flame2:


I disagree with Jack in that you can know what you want, by not buying it. I think you have to buy it, and use it, and then you will know if you needed it or not :D

If you then find out you didn't need it, put it on ebay :D

To be be fair, I only used my prime lens in the studio. Trying to use it out and about was a pain, especially with dogs who don't always do what they are told. I found the 24-105 zoom much more usefull.

I guess at the premiers people will stand more still than dogs, and the f1.8 will be usefull in low light, but remember you will need to compose your shots by moving yourself, as opposed to just zooming the lens. And if there is a barrier between you and your subject, you may have to crop your photo on the PC and then you will loose loads of quality...

I'd still buy the lens, even if you only use it for pics of the kids and grandkids, it should be well worth it. Good equipment keeps its value pretty well, and you can always resell stuff you don't like, but if you don't try it, how will you know if you like it ??
 
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