I need help collaborating a sticky thread for the usual questions asked

[JR6ooo4]

Hello All,
I see a lot of the same questions asked. It would be great to have a sticky again so people could get some answers instantly instead of waiting for replies.
I would like to compose a short post with answers to the most commonly asked questions. But I am not the best to do this. Basicaly, I am offering editing and publishing services. If you would like to help then reply with a quick tip or a question that you think is commonly asked. When all the average questions have been answered I will gather them from the replies and replace this post. Then I will mail a mod and ask that this thread be "Stuck".

We could seperate the questions into topics:
General info, Pocket and mid size cameras (like S3) & DLSRs and lenses.

maybe limit the info to what is needed to purchase the right camera, or at least not be surprised at the blurry low light-action pics from a $100 cam or even your DSLR and Kit lens. As apposed to a full photography course.

Thanks for any input you can provide,

Mikeeee

 

[JR6ooo4]

draft of post..

Buying tips
There are basicaly three choices of camera.
A) Something that fits in your pocket.
B) A midsize camera that may only fit in a large winter coat pocket.
C) A DSLR (Digital Single Lense Reflex) with many different interchangeable lenses available.
Cost for a pocket size can go up to about $300US, mid size from about $300-600 and then the DSLR above that. The best cameras in each category will take a pretty good to very good picture in the easiest of settings. i.e. a well lit scene like a sunny day. As you spend more money you can get a good picture in harder settings like low light situations or being able to hold down the shutter button and take continous shots.


Shooting tips
Just like film, digital cameras need to let the light to hit the sensor. If it is dark then the shutter must stay open for a long time or the resulting picture will be too dark. This is not a problem if your subject is not moving. You just put the camera on a tripod. But if the subject is moving and the shutter has to stay open a long time then all you get is a blurr. In camera terms even a normaly lit living room can be considered a low light situation. Even a $1000 camera setup can have the same result without using a flash.


For fireworks: (courtesy of Handicap18)
#1 Tripod. (this also works for any other subject where the shutter speed will be slower than 1/30th of sec)

#2 Manual.
A. Set ISO to 200 (or 100 if the camera goes that low).
B. Shutter speed will be anywhere from 2 seconds to 7 seconds (thus the need for the tripod). You can set the seconds yourself in shutter priority (S or Tv depending on your camera) and use the self timer or a remote shutter release (highly recommended) or you can use BULB. Again relseasing the shutter with a remote release and count out the seconds yourself and then use the remote shutter release to close the shutter.
C. Aperture (f/stops): generally around f/8. I've used f/10 and gotten some excellent results. You can also try smaller stops (bigger numbers) to get a slightly different effect with thinner streaks. The bigger numbers might also be a good idea as you get towards the Finale. Try switching to f/22. There is a lot of light from the bursts and the smaller opening might help out with seperating the streaks better (I've seen pictures using f/22 of what looks like, still waiting for confirmation for the photographer on it though, part of a Finale and the picture came out very good even with all that light on a 5 second exposure).

As for other Night photography such as the shows. Best bet is to use the highest ISO available, ie: 1600 (some camera's as high as 3200). I'd use aperture priority (Av or A depending on the camera) and set the lens to the widest (smallest number) and then let the camera choose the shutter speed. A highly recommended lens is a 50mm f/1.8. Canon's version goes for about $80 and Nikon's version goes for about $110 (both depending on where you shop). It is a very sharp lens and excellent for low light photography as the f/1.8 is VERY wide.

added by Handicap18
"ISO: 200
Manual (M)
Shutter Speed: 3-6 seconds are the average ranges
Aperture (f-stop): f/8 or f/10 (P&S camera's can use f/5.6 also)

A tripod is THE most helpful piece of equipment no matter what kind of camera you have.
2nd most helpful is a remote shutter release (or self timer set to 2 seconds). This will help reduce camera shake by pressing the shutter yourself.

For those who don't have some sort of a tripod:
Use the highest ISO you can (400, 800 or 1600).
Generally the slowest hand holdable shutter speed is around 1/30th. If your camera has some sort of Image Stabilization then you may be able to go as low as 1/10th. Some camera's come with a fireworks setting.
Aperture can be f/5.6, f/8 or f/10 (or thereabouts)

As for hand holding the camera at the slower shutter. Hold with two hands firmly (not to tight as that can cause camera shake). If sitting on the ground I would keep your knees bent up and rest your arms on your knees. Hold your breath (breathing could cause some camera shake) thn slowly and gently press the shutter release.

You could also lean against a fence or pole or some other solid object.

Using the tripod method with the looooong shutter will give you the long streaks and big bright bursts. Using the non tripod method, you will get some big colorful bursts if you time it right, but you wont get the long streaks.

Keep shooting. Its digital. You never know when you'll get THE good shot. Don't try, shoot, shoot shoot till the show ends.

Good luck."

 

[Groucho]

I would agree that some stickies might be worthwhile - at the very least, a sticky of "notable threads".

However, to be effective, that means that we need "official threads" for different topics. One for fireworks, one for tripods, one for DSLRs, probably one for individual DSLRs, etc - these means not only pretty serious moderation but lots of self-moderation by the regulars. There are too many individual topics to make them all sticky.

I have considered a few times starting a "bargains thread" and encouraging everyone to put their photo-related bargains in there - good deals on memory cards, cameras, etc - but I suspect that once it's scrolled off the first page, it'd be quickly forgotten.

There's also the balance between keeping everything organized and not offending new visitors. Someone may pop in here and say "I want a camera that works better for fireworks" (as happens every few days) - they might be turned off when their thread is promptly closed and they're referred to the "official" thread. The business of this forum also means that there'll probably be a few replies before then, anyway. Then the moderator has to consider merging the threads, PMing the OP to let them know what happened, etc - it can be a lot of work.

Perhaps a basic FAQ could be helpful, and could be a community project. (I suppose that might be exactly what you're suggesting.) Something like:

Q: My SpectroMagic photos are blurry.
A: Shutter speed is too slow, hands shaky. You can improve by blah, blah, blah.

Obviously with more detail, but something fairly concise. Beforehand, someone could write up a basic outline and offer it up for suggestions or improvements. Take a poll on whether or not it's good information (since some may be hesitant to speak out against it in their own message.) Obviously the answers should be brand-agnostic, not only in cameras but lenses, filters, tripods, bags, etc. Not only will such an approach help stifle all-out war between the C/N/P/S/O armies (and those are just the DSLR armies!), it would help future-proof it, rather than suggesting specific models which will no longer be current a year from now.

 

[handicap18]

Here is something I posted in a fireworks/night thread back in October when someone was asking for help. I also remember posting something similar earlier than this one that also had some help for those with P&S cameras. I'll see if I can find that one as well.

"My recommendations:

For fireworks:
#1 Tripod. (this also works for any other subject where the shutter speed will be slower than 1/30th of sec)

#2 Manual.
A. Set ISO to 200 (or 100 if the camera goes that low).
B. Shutter speed will be anywhere from 2 seconds to 7 seconds (thus the need for the tripod). You can set the seconds yourself in shutter priority (S or Tv depending on your camera) and use the self timer or a remote shutter release (highly recommended) or you can use BULB. Again relseasing the shutter with a remote release and count out the seconds yourself and then use the remote shutter release to close the shutter.
C. Aperture (f/stops): generally around f/8. I've used f/10 and gotten some excellent results. You can also try smaller stops (bigger numbers) to get a slightly different effect with thinner streaks. The bigger numbers might also be a good idea as you get towards the Finale. Try switching to f/22. There is a lot of light from the bursts and the smaller opening might help out with seperating the streaks better (I've seen pictures using f/22 of what looks like, still waiting for confirmation for the photographer on it though, part of a Finale and the picture came out very good even with all that light on a 5 second exposure).

As for other Night photography such as the shows. Best bet is to use the highest ISO available, ie: 1600 (some camera's as high as 3200). I'd use aperture priority (Av or A depending on the camera) and set the lens to the widest (smallest number) and then let the camera choose the shutter speed. A highly recommended lens is a 50mm f/1.8. Canon's version goes for about $80 and Nikon's version goes for about $110 (both depending on where you shop). It is a very sharp lens and excellent for low light photography as the f/1.8 is VERY wide.

Hope the info helps."

 

[handicap18]

Here is info from another post I did back in Sept about fireworks. If you'd like to combine the 2 to make a more readable and easier to understand post about fireworks thats cool. If others think something is missing or needs changing we can discuss it to make the most useful information for others before we have a sticky made for it. I'll be more than happy to contribute when and when I can.

"ISO: 200
Manual (M)
Shutter Speed: 3-6 seconds are the average ranges
Aperture (f-stop): f/8 or f/10 (P&S camera's can use f/5.6 also)

A tripod is THE most helpful piece of equipment no matter what kind of camera you have.
2nd most helpful is a remote shutter release (or self timer set to 2 seconds). This will help reduce camera shake by pressing the shutter yourself.

For those who don't have some sort of a tripod:
Use the highest ISO you can (400, 800 or 1600).
Generally the slowest hand holdable shutter speed is around 1/30th. If your camera has some sort of Image Stabilization then you may be able to go as low as 1/10th. Some camera's come with a fireworks setting.
Aperture can be f/5.6, f/8 or f/10 (or thereabouts)

As for hand holding the camera at the slower shutter. Hold with two hands firmly (not to tight as that can cause camera shake). If sitting on the ground I would keep your knees bent up and rest your arms on your knees. Hold your breath (breathing could cause some camera shake) thn slowly and gently press the shutter release.

You could also lean against a fence or pole or some other solid object.

Using the tripod method with the looooong shutter will give you the long streaks and big bright bursts. Using the non tripod method, you will get some big colorful bursts if you time it right, but you wont get the long streaks.

Keep shooting. Its digital. You never know when you'll get THE good shot. Don't try, shoot, shoot shoot till the show ends.

Good luck."

Maybe with the fireworks sticky we could add a few examples of fireworks taken with a dSLR with a tripod and without a tripod and also taken with a P&S camera with and without a tripod. The pics could include the EXIF data. This way people can see that you don't have to have an expensive dSLR to take great fireworks pictures. I know there are a few people out there that have taken great fireworks shots with a P&S. I'd be willing to contribue one of mine taken with a dSLR and tripod.

 

[amid chaos]

I would love to see a stickied thread about camera bags. there have been so many new threads about them.

I think it would be great if we all added a post with the kinds of bags we have, what we like and don't like about them and the equipment we haul around in them.

Photos and links would be wonderful too.

 

[jann1033]

i really love the idea and handicap's set up ( i remember those posts) as being helpful.

unfortunatly i also remember that some of the former sticky posts seemed to generate lots of "bad blood" ( and not just by 1 or 2) so maybe have them more facts than opinions?

now if i had any great photo facts i'd pass them along...maybe if you start one for 2 yr olds i can post there

 

[JR6ooo4]

i really love the idea and handicap's set up ( i remember those posts) as being helpful.

unfortunatly i also remember that some of the former sticky posts seemed to generate lots of "bad blood" ( and not just by 1 or 2) so maybe have them more facts than opinions?

now if i had any great photo facts i'd pass them along...maybe if you start one for 2 yr olds i can post there

I agree Jan. Some labeling of brands went on and some people got a "see my sticky" reply and it was percieved as rude or blunt. This thread is not intended to replace personal replies but only to have a little bit of info available instantly.

How about adding, "Don't shoot through screen windows" tip? heheheheeee

I tried a little intro to buying. What do you think?

 

[JR6ooo4]

I would also like to add links to good review sites and reputable dealers, online and local. any suggestions welcome.

Is there a thread or reply word count limit? can I add all this to the draft reply, endlesly?

Mikeeee

 

[barrie]

I too like the idea of having stickies for some of the often asked about topics. I refer back to informative posts a lot and I often have trouble finding something I've seen posted here. I don't have much luck with the search function.

I've been working on making my WDW photo site into a good resource for people that includes much of this info, but it's just a starting place. It doesn't have the capability for threaded conversations like this forum which I think is important. You could see if there is anything on there that you would want to include in your list.

Yesterday I added a section on taking fireworks photos and updated the photopass link to their new website. As time allows I keep adding more content - so check back every so often or refer people to it if you think it may be valuable to them.

 

[Groucho]

Part of the problem is that a good FAQ is very difficult to maintain in a message base. The first message gets out of date, the thread gets countless pages long, and a new user ends up having to hunt through several pages of the thread to find the info they're looking for (especially difficult when the thread search functionality is not working.) If the person who made the first message disagrees with a criticism made by another, whether it's valid or not, the first message will never get updated with that information.

Something like a wiki is probably a bit more suited, with a small group of moderators who ensure that the information stays relevant and accurate and unbiased. But a wiki is not something that can be done here (and it could probably be argued that it shouldn't be.)

Ultimately, the decision on stickies is made by AZ JazzyJ, as he is the sole moderator of the photography forum. I'd want to hear his thoughts before thinking too hard on this topic.

One way or the other, I definitely agree that it'd be great to have some standard reference threads.

 

[barrie]

Groucho - a wiki would be cool. Have you seen any good examples of photography wikis? How would it work to have several topics? Would there need to be a separate wiki for each topic or could they all be in one? Maybe the folks on here could all work on on one together and the sticky could have a link to it.

I'd be willing to work on getting the structure of it set up if other people were interested...

 

[Groucho]

I have not seen any photography wikis but I've never looked for any, either. I would assume that there are few out there (besides the obvious wikipedia pages) but probably not any Disney-specific ones. I would probably want to see something set up like a FAQ, with questions and answers, different pages for different big topics (like fireworks, tripods, etc.)

I could host such a thing (I have a BlueHost account with a ton of storage and bandwidth that I'm barely scratching the surface of) but that's a whole separate project from a forum like Disboards. Of course, I could also set up a forum, as well... hmmm... but that kind of branches out completely from here!

Interesting idea, though... I guess the question is, would people be interested in such a thing? It wouldn't be a particularly big deal to set one up, but I'd want to make sure there was interest before buying another domain name!

I do promise that if I do set up such a thing, the wiki will be brand-agnostic and not a big Pentax lovefest.

 

[barrie]

Groucho - I already set one up. Here's the link. If anyone wants to play with it, PM me with your email address and I'll send you an invitation (to keep spam at bay).

Barrie

 

[DebºoºS]

I do promise that if I do set up such a thing, the wiki will be brand-agnostic and not a big Pentax lovefest.

Brand-agnostic I enjoy friendly brand banter.

I love the wiki idea rather than a list of FAQs to wade through. A board sticky of "hot topics" or "hot pho_topics" wiki that's closed to replies would be helpful. The search feature here doesn't always work and when it does you still have to wade through posts to find what you need.

 

[Groucho]

Looks like Barrie beat me to it. I was thinking something a little more sweeping, with a dedicated domain name and a forum and maybe gallery attached... but it never got past looking up a few domain names so no worries. (I was bummed that someone already had "shuttermouse.com"! I do have another one in mind that is free if I do go ahead with something.)

This is also due to all the headaches we've gone through with my wife's blog on a variety of free blog services, all of which had some annoyance or another - she moved several times before we finally got her her own domain and I run the site myself. I don't know anything about Wikispaces but they use a Firefox screenshot in their tutorial so they can't be all bad. Fortunately wikis are fairly straightforward so switching hosts probably isn't too big of a nightmare if the need arises.

I just noticed the "shout out" on the Pentax page!

I'm still waiting for some sort of word from AZ JazzyJ to see what the moderator's thoughts on stickies are? I haven't seen much of him lately?

 

[barrie]

Hey - I made my first post on the new wiki. Never posted on one before, much less set one up. Come on everyone, join in!