What does everyone shoot with??

[handicap18]

I have a Nikon D80 and I was wondering cause I saw some pictures how the main picture of the object is clear and the background is blurry and that looks cool but was wondering how do you manage to do that? anyone got suggestions let me know thanks.

You need to use a very fast lens and open the aperture wide open. If you just go the D80 and are using a kit lens then its probably 3.5 at the max... that isn't fast enough to get the maximum blur in the background. I think Nikon just came out with a 50mm 1.4 autofocus but it will cost you about $350... if you wanted even more blur you can get a manual focus 50mm 1.2 (maybe a little cheaper used, but its a bear to focus on a dslr).

You don't necessarily need a fast lens. With the kit lens you can get this effect, you need to be in A mode (aperture priority) and use no less than f/5.6 (in other words a bigger number). After that it will depend on your subject and the distance between it and the background. Now the bigger the f/stop (remember f/stops are fractions so the smaller the number the bigger the hole) is the less depth of field you will have.

Using the 50mm f/1.4 (which Nikon has had in Auto Focus for decades and they also have 50mm f/1.8 that is $120, they did just announce an AF-S version of this lens with the focus motor in the body which will work on the D40, D40x and D60) at f/1.4 will create a MUCH shallower depth of field. To the point that if you do a closeup of a person's face and focus on their nose, the eyes will be out of focus.

 

[photobob]

Canon 40D, Canon 30D, 2 Canon 20D's. Canon lenses 17-40 f4L, 24-70 2.8L, 70-200 2.8L, 300 f4L. Plan to add the Canon 5D Mark II and possibly the Canon 85 1.2L in 2009. I'm the Chief Photographer for a daily newspaper, use the 40d and one of the 20D's for work, and use the newer 20D and the 30D for my side business where I specialize in weddings and senior portraits and WDW of course.

 

[Michele]

Canon 40D
Canon Digital Rebel (the original, no xt, xti)
Olympus FE-340
Olympus C-5000z

 

[Metallicat]

I had a Canon 40D, but I just wasn't happy with it. it felt too big and heavy for me. so I sold it. I took a small loss. I had bought it when the rebate was out plus the extra $50 rebate for being a previous Canon Rebel owner. so, I ordered a Rebel XSI and it should be here today. I just hope it doesn't feel like a brick. regardless, this one I'm keeping.

lenses: 18-55 IS kit lens, Sigma 18-200mm OS, Canon 50mm, and Tokina 10-17mm fisheye.

Plus I have a Canon powershot Elph SD870 IS that I love because it's small and does videos. fantastic videos in fact.

and an old Kodak Easyshare that was my first digital camera.

I also have an iphone. it takes pictures, but not very good ones.

 

[GGJames]

Canon S5 IS

 

[KimAshton]

Nikon D50.

 

[Aardvarks]

Samsung gx20.

14.6 meg with pentax ka mount. I have two lenses, both sneider, a short zoom and a long zooom

 

[Rob_Drebel]

Canon xti
Sony H50
Sony W80