Photography Questions.

Doorstop · Photography Questions.

I couldn't see another thread on a generalised topic like this and I had a specific question to ask so here we go ...

I've recently acquired a half decent camera (Lumix DMC FZ18) and am in the process of tinkering with it with the general aim of finding out about aperture thingies, shutter settings, f-stops and all that interminable jargon but it's still all pretty murky to me.

I was taking photos last night and found that in certain conditions (indoors under incandescent light) my photos aren't as sharp as I'd like them to be .. they have lots of colour bleed, the focus isn't as defined as in full light and there's a lot of noise in the image.

For instance ...

I was just wondering if any kind UGer could enlighten me as to the proper settings to use to clean my images up or, alternatively, point me in the direction of a tutorial or three?

Unh@ppyb@st@rd

in low light condition you need to open lens right up f2.8 i think for lumix. great if subject static with just enough light. If subject moves slightly shot will be blurred so you increase Iso to freeze motion ( iso 800 or 1600 not uncommon in low light situations but this will also increase noise. A tripod will be need if subject is static or flash to illuminate subject. hope that gives u rough explanation.

Doorstop

That's brilliant UB ... y'see, this is the stuff I'm desperate to learn.

Fantastic .. cheers again.

AlanM

Your camera also has image stabilisation, which will help by allowing you to hand hold shots at much slower shutter speeds than without - it won't help with moving subjects though.

LowLight

Some pics and links.

Aperture

Things to remember about aperture.

The lower f/ number the larger the aperture. The lower the f/ number the more light will enter the lens.
Aperture size affects Depth Of Field

ISO

Things to remember about ISO - This all just depends on your available light

ISO 100/200 is fine for sunny days but will require a slower shutter speed and/or larger aperture f/1.8 f/2.8 in darker situations etc.

ISO 400/800/1600 will allow for a faster shutter speed but will result in more noise being generated.
ISO noise

Shutter Speed

Things to remember about shutter speed.

A slow shutter speed 30 seconds to 1/60 sec will result in a blurry image, milky water, trails from moving cars etc.
A faster shutter speed 1/200 sec to 1/4000 sec will freeze the subject. Good for sports or wildlife photography.

That's just a short explanation of exposure and doesn't take into account the use of a tripod (get one) a flash or conditions that are out of your control

So:

Larger aperture (smaller number) - More light in, affects Depth Of Field (read up on that a wee bit and practice with it).

ISO Speed - Lower number = less noise but requires slower shutter speed depending on lighting conditions.

Shutter Speed - Low shutter speed will blur anything moving or create a nice smooth water look etc.

Faster shutter speed will freeze any action, ideal for fast paced sport or wildlife.

Just remember these aren't rules just some guidelines. Get out and get shooting and don't get too caught up in all the technical stuff.

I'll also revise this post later because it's a bit rushed.

NEXT TIME

DEPTH OF FIELD
RAW
WHITE BALANCE

LowLight

Oh and if you go to my flick page or look at my images posted here you'll notice the settings are around the border.

I'm not saying they're all perfect settings (no such thing) but they might show you how a large aperture will create a shallower depth of field (blurry background) or how a fast shutter speed will capture a bird in flight or freeze people in mid step walking down the street.

Just get out shooting and get the results posted.

HollowHorn · Re: Photography Questions.

AlanM

LowLight

Fixed.

Doorstop

Very helpful Gentlemen ... between this and 'The Other Place' I have learned loads over last night and this morning.

Cheers muchly ... and rest assured I will be back bothering you again ... soon.

cybers

Can it ever be classed as bother if you ask for help and someone else decides to impart their knowledge.
Noo hurry up and get snapping till wee see the results with your new shiny shiny

rotten milk

the best thing i realised when learning about photography, was that things (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) work in halfs and doubles.(very simplified, i know)

but it means (roughly) if you have a setting of aperture,speed,ISO if you keep one thing constant(say ISO as it's the film in the camera), then if you increase one of the others, you decrease the other variable by the same amount

exposure goes up in 'stops' : f1.8, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6 - in each case one 'stop' has 1/2 the light getting than the previous one, so you need to increase the shutter speed to compensate

shutter speed goes 1s, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125 etc. each step lets 1/2 the amount of light in

now, for any given 'exposure' if you increase the f number, you decrease the shutter speed by the same amount of steps
e.g. f4 @ 1/60s = f2.8 @ 1/30
f8@ 1/500 = f5.6 @ 1/1000 or f11 @ 1/250

of course these exposures may be 'equivalent', but different effects come in to play - low f number has less depth of field (stuff in sharp focus) than high f number
slow shutter speeds have greater risk of blurring than fast shutter speeds

it's easier to do than it is to write i assure you!

of course this refers more to film cameras, as a manual SLR meant you had to set it, well manually
obviously with modern digital there are so many things you can do, but i think if you thought in manual SLR terms, it would give you a good 'first principles' understanding of exposure, DOF, etc.

Fjord · 35mm

Great post mate and it highlights the fundamentals of photography in this day and age of point and shoot digital cameras.

I'd urge everybody to try a manual 35mm film camera at least once before they die... trust me you'll love it.

LowLight · Re: 35mm

Photography Questions.

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35mm

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