Ok, here are some more DSLR questions...

[AKLforever]

1:When using the Av (aperture priority) setting, what value is better for sharper backgrounds, lower numbers or higher?

2:When using the Tv (shutter priority) setting, whats the best value to use in low light but still be able to get a sharp pic with normal hands (meaning hands that are not perfectly stable, but also not very shakey as well, right in the middle, normal)

3:Are there any other important settings I need to keep in mind while shooting outside in daylight other then Tv and Av? Should I use the M mode? (manual) to help my self get used to the settings?

4:Another question about ISO, Can I use an ISO of 200 and 400 and still have good sharp pics in low light and in daylight out side while using my hands to take the pic?

5:The Mode Dial, all the modes that are on that dial , are they just templates to go by? Meaning, I could just use manual once I figure everything out because the Modes are just alternate locks settings of manual, right?

Ok, I dont know how to place pics up here so they show, so Ill link a test I did with 125 tv , 2.0 av, saturation set low to reduce the yellow from the lamp, and sharpness high.

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3113/imgp0160rw9.jpg

 

[Master Mason]

1:When using the Av (aperture priority) setting, what value is better for sharper backgrounds, lower numbers or higher?

The smaller the number the more the background will blur. Probably need f8 or higher to get the background in focus

2:When using the Tv (shutter priority) setting, whats the best value to use in low light but still be able to get a sharp pic with normal hands (meaning hands that are not perfectly stable, but also not very shakey as well, right in the middle, normal)

The guideline is 1/focal lenght So for a 50mm lens you should have 1/50 speed For a 300mm lenght it should be 1/300 to eliminate camera shake.

3:Are there any other important settings I need to keep in mind while shooting outside in daylight other then Tv and Av? Should I use the M mode? (manual) to help my self get used to the settings?

I would learn what the AV and TV modes will do before venturing into full M if I were you. I still very very rarely use M mode myself

4:Another question about ISO, Can I use an ISO of 200 and 400 and still have good sharp pics in low light and in daylight out side while using my hands to take the pic?

ISO, appeture, and shutter speed are the 3 parts of the puzzle, as one goes up, one of the others must go down and so on. So ISO 100 f4 and 1/50 sec would be the same as ISO 200 f/2.8 1/50sec would be the same as ISO 200 f4 (the next slowest speed) ect.

5:The Mode Dial, all the modes that are on that dial , are they just templates to go by? Meaning, I could just use manual once I figure everything out because the Modes are just alternate locks settings of manual, right?

yes that is correct, they are just preset settings

Ok, I dont know how to place pics up here so they show, so Ill link a test I did with 125 tv , 2.0 av, saturation set low to reduce the yellow from the lamp, and sharpness high.

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3113/imgp0160rw9.jpg

to post a pic put [img ] before and [/img ] after and remove the space before the last braket in each

 

[ukcatfan]

Sharpness basically means that you are getting maximum resolution. I cannot remember exactly what lenses you have, but the Pentax kit is the sharpest at the wide end from around f/5.6 - f/8. In the mid range, f/8 is the sharpest at f/8. At the tele end it is f/10. This does not mean that you have to stay at these settings, it just means that they are the best.

You have the K100D if I remember correctly, so you can do a litle better than the 1/focal length with the IS on. Be careful to not get too slow when shooting a moving subject b/c subject motion blur can occur and no IS in the world can help with that.

In bright light, just be sure to not get the ISO too high or the camera might be pushed beyond the limits of being able to compensate it in shutter speed/aperture and you can overexpose. The 200 and 400 could be fine. For low light with the kit, you will likely need to go to at least 800, but if you have the 50mm f/1.4, you have a few stops advantage and likely can go with a lower ISO.

Here is a website that lists MTF resolution tests for Pentax lenses. The higher the number, the more resolution or sharpness. http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html

Kevin

 

[MarkBarbieri]

The smaller the number the more the background will blur. Probably need f8 or higher to get the background in focus

It also depends on the relative distance between you, the subject, and the background. If your background is very close to your subject, it will be sharper. If it is very far from your subject, it will be blurrier.

The guideline is 1/focal lenght So for a 50mm lens you should have 1/50 speed For a 300mm lenght it should be 1/300 to eliminate camera shake.

This guideline was developed back in the days of 35mm film. To apply it to a K100, you should multiply it by 1.5x to take into account the increased magnification resulting from using a smaller sensor. It's a very rough guideline, so experiment to find out what works for you. The main thing is that the ability to get sharp pictures without a tripod requires a faster shutter speed when you zoom in more (because you magnify every camera movement that much more).

I would learn what the AV and TV modes will do before venturing into full M if I were you.

I agree. Once you've master aperture priority and shutter priority modes, you know everything you know to take pictures in manual mode. Manual mode is best in situations where you want consistency between shots (so that the camera doesn't re-meter when you don't want it to) or you are using a cable release (so the meter isn't fooled by light coming in through the viewfinder).

Can I use an ISO of 200 and 400 and still have good sharp pics in low light and in daylight out side while using my hands to take the pic?

No. As a general rule, I would use 200 for bright days outdoors, 400 for cloudy days outdoors or bright indoor situations, 800 for normal indoor situations, and 1600 for dim indoor situations. If there is a lot of movement, I would consider increasing those numbers. It is very hard to get good shots in low light, so you'll want a wide lens (low f-stop number) and a high ISO.

The lower the ISO, the better the IQ, assuming that you can get the aperture and shutter speed that you want.

you have, but the Pentax kit is the sharpest at the wide end from around f/5.6 - f/8

Are you sure about that? I've never heard of a lens that was sharpest wide open. They are almost always sharpest stopped down about 2 stops.

 

[boBQuincy]

1:When using the Av (aperture priority) setting, what value is better for sharper backgrounds, lower numbers or higher?

2:When using the Tv (shutter priority) setting, whats the best value to use in low light but still be able to get a sharp pic with normal hands (meaning hands that are not perfectly stable, but also not very shakey as well, right in the middle, normal)

3:Are there any other important settings I need to keep in mind while shooting outside in daylight other then Tv and Av? Should I use the M mode? (manual) to help my self get used to the settings?

4:Another question about ISO, Can I use an ISO of 200 and 400 and still have good sharp pics in low light and in daylight out side while using my hands to take the pic?

5:The Mode Dial, all the modes that are on that dial , are they just templates to go by? Meaning, I could just use manual once I figure everything out because the Modes are just alternate locks settings of manual, right?

1 - if you want the foreground and background to both be in focus you need a small aperture (high f/number).

2 - A shutter speed of 1/focal length is a starting point. If you still see blur, try the next faster speed.

3 - The M mode is rarely needed and often causes problems when people use it thinking "maybe this is what the pros use so it must be good". P mode, program shift, and exposure compensation will do everything that M will in almost any situation, and easier.

4 - ISO 400 is usually not enough for indoors.

5 - The "easy" modes are sort of templates, to set the camera for a specific type of scene. Except in rare occasions, P mode can provide everything you need.

 

[YEKCIM]

3 - The M mode is rarely needed and often causes problems when people use it thinking "maybe this is what the pros use so it must be good". P mode, program shift, and exposure compensation will do everything that M will in almost any situation, and easier.

Amen and Amen! Today's cameras have very sophisticated electronic metering systems that are nearly impossible to outguess...at least that has been my experience. Way back in the 70's, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I cut my photographic teef on manual metering. When auto-exposure cameras became available shortly thereafter, I gave up manual metering, for the most part, because the auto exposure was so good, and it's only gotten better. In fact, when you meter manually, you *still* use the camera's built in meter to adjust the shutter and aperture, only you can't do it NEARLY as quickly as the camera can. To be sure, there *are* instances where manual metering is helpful, *if* (and that's a big "if") you know what you are doing and what you are trying to accomplish. To just set your camera's settings manually, "because the pro's do" is not a valid reason, IMO. I can't verify this, but I would imagine that most pro's shoot the majority of their photos using some type of automated exposure, and fall back on manual when the light is tricky, or some other special occasion arises. With digital, too, it is a simple matter to look at the LCD to check the exposure. Bracketing is also a very valid "strategy" when you're unsure about the lighting. Film is expensive; memory is essentially free, plus you can delete any obviously mal-exposed shots.

Anyhow, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

~YEKCIM

 

[ukcatfan]

I cannot remember exactly what lenses you have, but the Pentax kit is the sharpest at the wide end from around f/5.6 - f/8.

Are you sure about that? I've never heard of a lens that was sharpest wide open. They are almost always sharpest stopped down about 2 stops.

I typically stay at f/8 for more DOF, but from the MTF data on Photozone, the lens at 18mm has almost exactly the same resolution at f/5.6 as it does at f/8. It is not too far off that completly wide open at f/3.5. For a kit lens, this thing really is pretty impressive.
http://photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/pentax_1855_3556/index.htm

Kevin

 

[Groucho]

If you're shooting at 18mm, F5.6 is stopped down a bit with the kit lens. One of the things that I am most looking forward to, when I finally upgrade to a K10D or its replacement, is the MTF program line, where it will automatically shoot at the lens's sharpest aperture, no need to guess what it is or look it up on an arcane chart somewhere.

For full manual mode... I'm comfortable doing it on my K1000 with the little exposure needle, but not so much in the digital realm, with numeric readouts. I do occasionally use it for specific tasks, like yesterday I took a bunch of photos on a tripod of my parent's backyard with the plan to attempt to make a serious HDR photo out of them. Manual was the best mode for the job at hand.

You can certainly do ISO 200 or 400 inside if your lens is fast enough. If using the kit lens, you probably have to bump it up... but if using a fast prime, you probably won't, unless it's really dark, or you're valuing a larger depth of field over lower noise.

 

[AKLforever]

Im sorry, I forgot to say what camera I am useing.
The K100D with the kit and the 50mm prime 1.4.

The low light shots im taking are in Animal Kingdom Lodge, and I want to bring home some keepers, desktop background types.

I have another question. So, what Im getting from everyone is this, I can use the 200-400 ISO settings if I use the 50mm prime I have, right? Inside the lodge, should I also use a high shutter speed when holding it? And, How low should I go if Im using a tripod?

Im sorry about all these questions, but Im so new at this, I dont want to mess this up and get yelled at by the misses for buying this camera, lol. She will kill me if I have a bunch of blurry dim or noisey pics, lol.

Thank you all very much, and thanks for being patient with me

 

[jann1033]

i would guess your camera has some sort of exposure scale or something that lights up when the exposure is correct( mine has a blinking dot that stops blinking if exposure is right....that way you can tell at least generally if you can take the shot or not or need to adjust shutter, iso or aperture. not being sarcastic but the instruction manual is your friend

and Yekim....who you callin' a dinosaur? totally agree with bobq and yekim though, why make it hard on yourself? once you are comfy with the camera, composition etc worry about manual if you really want to as a "learning experience".

maybe it's just me but in general i use the highest shutter i can and still have the dof i want and the lowest iso i can..the higher the shutter the less chance of shake although if you have IS that should help some but it works for a few stops not the whole scale...ak lodge is fairly dark and dark colors from what i recall so i would think you would need 400 even with the 50mm( untested assumption on my part and take into account my lousy memory), maybe higher depending on how noisy it gets. so if you set it on av for the aperture/dof you want, you should be able to tell if you need to adjust the iso if the shutter is to low. btw, thinking of your other thread, check and see if your camera has a dof preview button...it shows you how much is in focus and how much will be blurred which will help you with dof.
really the best thing you can do is practice practice practice before you go...that way the first 1000 shots are just to learn with and make you comfortable.

 

[YEKCIM]

and Yekim....who you callin' a dinosaur?

Jan,

I *am* a dinosaur...just ask my 8 year old daughter, who wants to know what kinds of DVD's I watched and what kinds of video games I played, when I was a kid. (I was born in 1954) Hey, my first trip to DisneyWorld (MK, that is) was in 1974, and I was twenty years old, fer cryin' out loud! HER first trip was when she was 5-1/2, and she's going again this summer, for the *fifth* time!

Well, old geezer or not, I still get a kid's thrill and excitement whenever I pass thru the turnstiles!

~YEKCIM

 

[AKLforever]

I have been, IM around 700 shots so far, trying to figure all the settings out and what they do. But, the manual is not my pal, it really doesnt explain anything, just how to set things, not why im setting them and the best way to set them. Thats why I ask here,

 

[AKLforever]

This one I cant seem to find the answer to in the manual or anywhere on line, so my guess would be no, but Ill ask anyway. Can you use the LCD instead of the viewfinder when taking shots?

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Can you use the LCD instead of the viewfinder when taking shots?

No. The sensor is covered by a mechanical shutter. Except for the brief moment the picture is being taken, the sensor is completely in the dark. Because the sensor isn't receiving any light, it cannot create a preview for the viewfinder.

This is a tradeoff used by DSLRs. It makes for less noise and a less shutter lag. On a digital p&s, the sensor is not covered by a shutter and so it can generate a preview. The drawback is that the camera has to drop the electric charge on the sensor to clear it just before taking the picture. This causes a delay between when you push the button and when the camera takes the shot. Using the preview also warms the sensor which causes additional noise.

Canon and Olympus both have DSLRs that use a hybrid approach and let you have a live preview. I don't have experience with either, so I can't say how well they work. I love the thought of a live histogram.

 

[Groucho]

My Pentax, and I presume the K100D, has a readout in the far right of the viewfinder that tells you the exposure. Ideally it's 0.0 (and will go to that if you hit the AE-L button), and it will show up to +/- 3.0 stops, past that it will blink. This is only in Manual mode; in other modes, this area shows the number of photos left.

You can use the top-mounted LCD to get a readout of what your settings are, but on mine at least, it doesn't show the exposure.

For interior shots of AKL, you may still want the higher ISO level. Basically, you can let in more light in four ways, each has its own problems...
1) Add more light - this won't work in AKL as you don't have control of the lights, and a flash won't be powerful enough to light such a large area
2) Go to a lower F-stop (bigger aperture) - however your depth of field will shrink
3) Go to a slower shutter - more likely to get blur from camera shake
4) Go to a higher ISO - more likely to get noise

Your absolute best results for a shot like the AKL lobby will be at somewhere around F8, low ISO (200 ideally), and a slow shutter speed, requiring the camera to be on a tripod. For a long shot, you'll also ideally want a remote shutter release so you don't move it when pressing the button.

If you don't want to carry a tripod, you can look at alternate support systems, like a Gorillapod - one of the ones that is designed for DSLRs, of course.

Also, you may want to go into your Custom menu and turn off the "noise reduction", what this will do is, on long exposures, take a duplicate photo with the mirror down, and will compare the two in order to eliminate any issues caused by the sensor itself, like hot pixels, etc. In practical terms, this means that if you take a 30-second exposure, you'll have to wait another 30 seconds before the camera is available again. I haven't seen any issues with having it off.

 

[jann1033]

Jan,

I *am* a dinosaur...just ask my 8 year old daughter, who wants to know what kinds of DVD's I watched and what kinds of video games I played, when I was a kid. (I was born in 1954) Hey, my first trip to DisneyWorld (MK, that is) was in 1974, and I was twenty years old, fer cryin' out loud! HER first trip was when she was 5-1/2, and she's going again this summer, for the *fifth* time!

Well, old geezer or not, I still get a kid's thrill and excitement whenever I pass thru the turnstiles!

~YEKCIM

ot but yeah i realized just how old i was when my kids as pre-teens asked me "Who were the Beatles?" i agree, we were also adults and had kids before i ever went to any Disney park.now our kids are grown and husband and i enjoyed our last solo trip better than any of the "kids in tow" trips since we could act like kids with no eyerolling from the offspring

 

[Groucho]

ot but yeah i realized just how old i was when my kids as pre-teens asked me "Who were the Beatles?" i agree, we were also adults and had kids before i ever went to any Disney park.now our kids are grown and husband and i enjoyed our last solo trip better than any of the "kids in tow" trips since we could act like kids with no eyerolling from the offspring

Back in the '80s, there was a comedian (famous one, I just can't think of who), who did a joke about aging. "The other day, my son came up to me and said, 'Dad, is it true that Paul McCartney was in another band before Wings?'"

Now that joke is completely obsolete as how many kids have ever heard of Wings? ("Wasn't that a TV show?")

I'm in my mid-'30s but even in my early '20s, I would often be mistaken for someone much older when conversing online (in the old BBS days!) since I'm so into old stuff, from music to movie... hunting down Jack Benny radio shows, watching Marx Bros and Buster Keaton movies, listening to oldies, etc... my son's two and about the only TV he ever sees is The Muppet Show or Popeye cartoons from the '30s, and of course, some Disney movies and some '30s-era Mickey Mouse cartoons. We'll see how he compares to kids that are fed a steady diet of Barney, Teletubbies, etc.