Something New You've Learned

[NostalgicDad]

Here's a dirty little secret that you won't find on a lot of gearhead threads. Almost any lens can take great pictures in a lot of situations. If you are shooting at f/8 and aren't at the edges of the zoom range, you won't be able to tell the difference between a $100 lens and a $2,000 lens without pixel peeping. When you spend gobs of money on lenses, you're primarily just paying for those situations where you have to shoot wider, or really zoomed in, or really zoomed out.

I'm not saying that you should never upgrade lenses. I'm just saying that the ability to buy big gains in picture quality diminishes rapidly as you start to spend more. A $1,000 DSLR setup is a huge leap over a $250 point and shoot. A $5,000 DSLR setup is only marginally better than a $1,000 DSLR setup.

Excellent points indeed.

 

[AndrewWG]

double post somehow.

 

[Josh125]

I learned something last night, or rather had something we all know re enforced. I was at a concert, rather a dance show to be exact. A concert go-er a few rows over had a nice rig that she brought. Looked to be a 30D, speedlight, and had some nice red ringed glass. However, she kept standing up to get pictures throughout the whole thing, even after people were asking her to stop.

So, always be considerate of who you are with and don't sacrafice someone else expierience to get the "it" picture.

 

[madge]

I've learned a lot in the last 6 months, which is when I started researching and then bought the S3. One of the most important things, for me, is that I don't have to stay on the green square any more. I can take a pretty darn good picture using those letters on the camera's dial

I've also learned if I have an aperture set at F3.5 and I get it set just right, I can blur the background of my picture a little bit.

 

[sk8belle]

I've learned that using spot metering helps get the exposure right when shooting a photo that has particularly bright sections or a mix of shade and bright.

 

[DVC Jen]

Gosh - I got my XTi and entered the world of DSLR almost exactly one year ago. So I have learned more than I could EVER list here. I have pretty much learned everything I know about real (not point n shoot) photography.

I have also learned that I have a real passion for it and a drive to continue to get better and better. It is a real challenge for me - and I do so love to be challenged.

But - the most important thing I have learned - is that I still have an incredible amount to learn.

 

[boBQuincy]

I learned the value of a good camera clamp for tripod work. My old "generic" clamp allowed the camera to wiggle, not much but enough to reduce sharpness noticeably.

With a good camera clamp sharpness is much better. I can't wait to photograph some WDW fireworks with this setup!
Here's a test shot with a 30D, 70-200 f/4 and 1.4 extender:

 

[wdwmom2]

I have learned that when you are in pain and take a muscle relaxer like Flexeril(whose side effect is drowsiness), that you can fall asleep standing up!!!! It's not pretty !

OK, photography wise, it's just nice to have such a great group of people on here that will come to the rescue with any question that you have.

Thank you DIS photography board, YOU ROCK!!!

 

[handicap18]

I've learned a lot. One thing that stands out, probably because its the most recent is that I don't got as sharp of an image as I normally do if I use Dynamic Area focusing instead of Single Area focusing on a stationary subject. With Nikon, Dynamic Area focusing lets you choose what gets focused, but then moves with that subject. This is intended to be used for something like sports photography where the subject will be moving. Yeah, doesn't work as well for buildings that are just sitting there. GRRRRRRRR

 

[Groucho]

White balance at night - use the tungsten or fluorescent WB on your camera. Not sure if Nikon or other manufacturers use the same term. It is a cooler temperature so will offset the orange tones you get from sodium vapor lights.

Yep, that's about what I'd say - though of course, shooting Raw, I never adjust it when actually shooting. Some photos seem better at tungsten, some better at fluorescent, some better at somewhere else. If I was shooting jpg and had to go with just one, I'd probably go with tungsten, though.

 

[brack]

I'm still learning WB for shots indoors and at night but it is the best thing I have been working on ...... besides composition.

 

[DizneyNutz]

I have learned sooooo much on here, that there is not enough room to post! Thank You to ALL that post on here. My most recent interest however is HDR. I can't wait to try this out on my next upcoming visit. Thanks again for all of your knowledge that you put out here for us less than knowledgeable photographers.

 

[mikamah]

This year, from the Dis, I learned what a dslr is, what the best web sites are to buy one, what a great book Understanding Exposure is, how to use more than auto on my xti, what aperture and shutter speed mean, and how changing one of them will affect my pictures.

I've learned that there is so very much to learn about photography, and I have just begun.

I've learned how many wonderful, talented photographers there are here on the dis, always willing to share their knowledge. Thanks everyone.

 

[alan]

Okay, if you include summer 2006 as "this year" (heck, it's only a few months out) then I discovered that there is a lot of truth in the maxim that you shouldn't take a brand-new camera as your only camera on holiday - you should take one that you're really familiar with.

I've learned a lot about stage photography through doing www.stagepics.co.uk, and it's been great fun. Anticipate the moment, get a big memory card and don't be afraid to use burst mode, and try to balance shutter speed and ISO rating for best results.

I've learned to shoot RAW and correct later. But now I have to decide whether to stick with Photoshop Elements or try to learn the full-blown product. I've not tried CS3 yet, and Elements seems to have lots of handy little tricks that CS2 doesn't - but CS2 can do lots of things that Elements can't...

regards,
/alan