Photographers: tips, tricks, equipment, etc

[dwaynerz]

thanks all. lots of info to decipher and look into. some ideas/info given are things i never would have thought of or even worried about.

[Rebel702]

Originally Posted by jjdcamper

Looking for some help:
I have a Nikon D5100 DSLR and I have a question, which I can't find the answer to in the user's manual.

If I set the Mode Dial to "Close Up", how can I set the aperture to a specific setting?
Thanks,
Jim

Jim, I read through the guide for your camera and the "Close Up" setting is a "scene" selection and does not allow manual setting w/ Aperture. If you just set the camera to Aperture you still have the ability to take macro photos to the limit of the lens you are using. You also can buy a macro lens for more specilized macro photography. Close Up mode does not change the lens ability for focal lenght.

I did not see any info for checking the DOF as you noted. I have the D300 and do have that feature. Your camera does have some neat features with the video and also the Nikon Flash Commander. I use this all time for off camera flash.

[jjdcamper]

Originally Posted by mtnguy

As far as vision in manual mode, it does takes 20/20 to get the correct focus.........if you haven't adjusted the view finder diopter setting. I learned this the hard way by taking some pictures with my glasses off, and the pictures were blurry. I was using the lens to correct my vision. On my camera, I have 1 of the little red dots light up and a beep sound when I have something in focus in manual mode. I was wondering why those didn't go off when I had my glasses off.

If I would continually take pictures with my glasses off, then I would adjust the view finder diopter wheel to allow for that.

In my old non-automatic focus 35mm, I also had the split image focusing. I don't know how practical that would be now when most shots are auto-focus.



I think the DOF preview button is still offered on many DSLRs. I have that on my entry level Rebel t1i. I think is still offered on the higher end Nikons.

Mtnguy:
Thanks for the comments and hints.
I have the eye level view finder focus adjusted using the little wheel. (In fact I have it maxed out!) I normally use the auto focus because I don't trust my vision, but in manual, there is a little black dot that will show in the viewfinder if the camera is in focus and a quiet "beep" also. (The beep can be turned off if you think it will scare off a close up subject, like a bird.) I had to buy a teardrop rubber eye cup as my camera had only a hard rubber, flat eye cup that was semi useless for me. The set up I have now seems to work for me.
In my conversation with Triguy, we discussed the mode dial settings and we both thought that on a Nikon, the Close Up setting set the lens to macro. I took a test shot yesterday in Aperture Priority and the depth of field was identical to the Close Up setting. So much for the Close Up setting. I did this once before photographing a bird inside a bush. Lots of shadows and dark. I took one shot with wide area metering and then another with spot metering and both photos came out the same. So much for spot metering. I'm beginning to think that the settings are there for a "feel good" feeling but the bottom line is, it's a sophisticated point and shoot camera. Thank heavens I got a real good lens which performs well under all conditions. It's a Nikkor 18-200mm and produces some really sharp, clear, true colors pictures. However, no matter what settings I set, the camera takes over and does it's thing, unless I have made some real exotic settings, like Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, etc. Those setting do respond. I guess more tests are in order unless someone who has the same equipment I have has some suggestions.
Thanks again,
Jim

[jjdcamper]

Originally Posted by Rebel702

Jim, I read through the guide for your camera and the "Close Up" setting is a "scene" selection and does not allow manual setting w/ Aperture. If you just set the camera to Aperture you still have the ability to take macro photos to the limit of the lens you are using. You also can buy a macro lens for more specilized macro photography. Close Up mode does not change the lens ability for focal lenght.

I did not see any info for checking the DOF as you noted. I have the D300 and do have that feature. Your camera does have some neat features with the video and also the Nikon Flash Commander. I use this all time for off camera flash.

Rebel702:
Thanks for the input. That's exactly what I did yesterday on a test shot. I went to Aperture Priority and open the lens all the way. I had very little depth of field, which is exactly what I'm looking for. It is still hit and miss as you won't know for sure how much of the background is in focus until you look at the photo, but it's a promising start. (I do more close ups than anything else. I'm just fascinated by close up photography.) Macro lens is out of the question. I'd have to sell my brand new camper to buy a good Macro and a cheap Macro is just that, cheap. Low quality glass and workmanship. I tried + lenses/filters, Hoyas, and you lose a little sharpness due to the extra piece of glass in front of the lens. But I feel I'm on the right track.
Thanks again,
Jim

[prof_fate]

I have a canon 100 macro and it's nice. A friend has had the 180 - yeah, costly! Nicer though...
THen he got the canon 5-1 macro (macro lenses does a 1:1 sizing - so a bug is 'life size' on the film/sensor). Their 5-1 will magnify said bug up to 5X life size. WOW! He's done some grasshoppers and such that are just phenomenal.

I hear good things about the 90/100mm third party macro lenses, and you can always buy used.

[jjdcamper]

Originally Posted by prof_fate

I have a canon 100 macro and it's nice. A friend has had the 180 - yeah, costly! Nicer though...
THen he got the canon 5-1 macro (macro lenses does a 1:1 sizing - so a bug is 'life size' on the film/sensor). Their 5-1 will magnify said bug up to 5X life size. WOW! He's done some grasshoppers and such that are just phenomenal.

I hear good things about the 90/100mm third party macro lenses, and you can always buy used.

prof_fate:
Thanks for the info.
I'm going to do some more experimenting with what I got and see what happens but I appreciate your input. Yea. Macro lenses are pricey, even the used ones.
Thanks again,
Jim

[prof_fate]

Originally Posted by jjdcamper

prof_fate:
Thanks for the info.
I'm going to do some more experimenting with what I got and see what happens but I appreciate your input. Yea. Macro lenses are pricey, even the used ones.
Thanks again,
Jim

Pricey is relative...I have $2400 lenses, $3500 cameras. $600 on a lens is way cheap.

If it's some other hobby the same thing applies - I shoot competitively with a $500 gun and reload on a $300 press. Some of my competition are using $2500 customized guns and dillon 1050s with all the bells and whistles ($1500+).

My golf clubs cost a total of $179, with the bag. OK, I did get $90 putter to add to that. A friend spent nearly $600 on just his driver.

Do you have a $15k TT, $50k 5vr, $130k class A or one that costs 3 times that?
We just replaced a $4500 TV with a $40,000 one.

"expensive" is relative.

[jjdcamper]

Originally Posted by prof_fate

Pricey is relative...I have $2400 lenses, $3500 cameras. $600 on a lens is way cheap.

If it's some other hobby the same thing applies - I shoot competitively with a $500 gun and reload on a $300 press. Some of my competition are using $2500 customized guns and dillon 1050s with all the bells and whistles ($1500+).

My golf clubs cost a total of $179, with the bag. OK, I did get $90 putter to add to that. A friend spent nearly $600 on just his driver.

Do you have a $15k TT, $50k 5vr, $130k class A or one that costs 3 times that?
We just replaced a $4500 TV with a $40,000 one.

"expensive" is relative.

prof_fate:
Thank you for your comments. I sincerely appreciate all inputs.
Jim

[MtnGuy]

A couple of photos of a visitor to our neighborhood yesterday.

This photo was taken with my Rebel T1i SLR with the lens zoomed out to the max of 300 mm.



This photos was taken by my wife with a Canon SX260 HS, with the optical zoom maxed out at 20x, and also the digital zoom at 2x.



Both pictures have been cropped. The eagle in the flying picture was about 80 yds. away, and the tree shot was about 120 yds.

The Power Shot has image stabilization, where the particular lens I was using on my Rebel does not.

Each camera seems to have advantages over the other. My wife could not keep up with the eagle on the screen of the Power Shot, but I could easily do that with in the view finder of the Rebel. The image stabilization of the Power Shot seems to work great........I need a zoom lens with that for my Rebel.

[TURBS]

I have one that lives nearby.

[Oakman]

Those are very cool shots. The image of the Eagle really pops with the blue sky background. I'm impressed with the image quality of the powershot considering the digital zoom was used.

[Rolling buckeye]

NICE!!!

I don't know enough about this to have any input, Other than, really nice pics!

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by Oakman

Those are very cool shots. The image of the Eagle really pops with the blue sky background. I'm impressed with the image quality of the powershot considering the digital zoom was used.

Ty!
Its to bad he was far enough away that any more zoom was hard to focus..
Then again I'm camera illiterate.

Turbs

[grayfox]

Nice pics... you guys and gals are having way to much fun with photography.

[grayfox]

Originally Posted by grayfox

Nice pics... you guys and gals are having way to much fun with photography.

I forgot to say I'm getting the itch from all these nice pics. I guess I'll have to get the camera out and .

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by grayfox

I forgot to say I'm getting the itch from all these nice pics. I guess I'll have to get the camera out and .

Self portrait ?

[grayfox]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Self portrait ?

Never was good @ portraits

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by grayfox

Never was good @ portraits

Lol yeah me either........

[grayfox]

I have alot of action pics from my Grandsons mx racing and my Granddaughters

barrel racing plus alot of wildlife shots from here around the house. I'll

have to dig some out

[f5moab]

I started with the Nikon F5 (and still use the "f5" for a internet ID), but since it became next to impossible to find and have developed Fuji Velvia/Provia; I made the jump about six years ago to digital.
My current cameras:
Nikon S9300 Coolpix (point and shoot, better than my Razr Phone camera)
Nikon D300
Nikon D700
My current lenses:
NIKKOR 20-35mm F/2.8D EDIF ZOOM
NIKKOR AF-S 24-70 F/2.8G EDIF ZOOM
NIKKOR AF-S 70-200 F/2.8D EDIF VR ZOOM
NIKKOR AF-S 300mm F/4D EDIF

Most of my photography revolves around landscape/nature only.

Taken with my F5 28-70F/2.8G EDIF ZOOM back in 2006


F5 28-70F/2.8G EDIF ZOOM


D300 28-70F/2.8G EDIF ZOOM


D700 AF-S 24-70 F/2.8G EDIF ZOOM