Hey all!

I've been away for a bit... spending my spare time gaming rather than creating. Tis time for me to pick up the camera again, but I have a slight problem... as an amateur I know not how to work with the camera very well. I love photography, but I remember nothing from my classes and stint in the photo club during high school, so I'm not sure how to fix the problems I'm having.

The biggest problem is focus. The auto focus system simply doesn't do what I expect. I have yet to read the camera manual in its entirety, but I think you can adjust it to your eye. I don't even know if that is a useful feature or not.

Anyhow, I think what I might have to do is drag a notepad with me when I'm shooting and record every detail about every shot in order to learn what does what. I'd rather not be bothered, but I want to have some idea of how to get what I want from the camera rather than hoping for one good shot out of 30 or so.

Has anyone done something like that? I'd love to hear other methods SDC photographers have implemented to enhance their knowledge and skills.

Thanks everyone!

(oopsie... forgot to mention the camera is a Canon 300d dslr)

What camera are you using again? Digital Rebel?

You are always going to get bad shots and they will always outnumber your good ones. Ansel Adams once said he would get approx 12 great shots for every 10,000 or so taken.

If you are shooting digital then you should be able to get most of the info you need from the exif data that is stored with the file. You can access this in Photoshop by selecting file info under the file menu.

I tried writing stuff down (when I was shooting a manual Pentax) but it never really worked for me as it takes so long to write things down especially if the environment is changing or your subject moving and you are constantly shooting/moving.

I find after a while you remember what works and what doesn't. The older you are the longer this takes ;)

I always try to manual focus where possible (stationary subjects).

The diopter adjustment on the viewfinder will affect how sharp you perceive the whole image in the viewfinder. As far as I know (and from experience) even if it is not set for your eyes it will not cause you to focus incorrectly. It will just cause the whole image area (the focused area and the out of focus areas) to not be as sharp as if had been set for your eyes. So the focused area will be blurry but the out of focus area will be blurrier (Hope that makes sense).

Are you having any particular problems with your images?

John Hedgecoe writes good informative books on all kinds of photography and techniques and you can usually find ones used. The ones on specific subjects have more useful info than the ones that just skim over all areas generally.

Glad to see you back. :)

What camera are you using again? Digital Rebel?

Canon 300d, I forgot to mention that.

I tried writing stuff down (when I was shooting a manual Pentax) but it never really worked for me as it takes so long to write things down especially if the environment is changing or your subject moving and you are constantly shooting/moving.

Yeah, I really don't think writing stats and details while I'm trying to capture shots is gonna work well for me. It'll become more of a chore than an exciting challenge.

I always try to manual focus where possible (stationary subjects).

I'll try doing that more. What about the settings on the dial (forgive my lack of proper terminology)? Settings such as, portrait, macro, no flash, etc. Sometimes I'd like to try a setting in low light, but the flash comes on... maybe I ought to read the manual thoroughly. I expect there is a way to shut it off entirely...

The diopter adjustment on the viewfinder will affect how sharp you perceive the whole image in the viewfinder. As far as I know (and from experience) even if it is not set for your eyes it will not cause you to focus incorrectly. It will just cause the whole image area (the focused area and the out of focus areas) to not be as sharp as if had been set for your eyes. So the focused area will be blurry but the out of focus area will be blurrier (Hope that makes sense).

I think so. So then I just need to learn how the diopter works with different adjustments? Or even what the heck a diopter is? :D

Are you having any particular problems with your images?

It's pretty much focus. I took a whole series of shots in a wooded area... attempting to capture leafs and plants and such in the light a wooded area provides, but every single one came out a bit blurred. I was very disappointed.

John Hedgecoe writes good informative books on all kinds of photography and techniques and you can usually find ones used. The ones on specific subjects have more useful info than the ones that just skim over all areas generally.

Thank you for the reference. I'll have to look him up.

Glad to see you back. :)

Silly of me to have been away. Thanks a lot freaky... I can always count on you. :)

Glad to see you back as well alda. :)

One of the things you might want to look at for the blurriness could be something as simple as a slow shutter speed and a shaky hand (if you are on manual you may not even realize that shutter speed is too slow like 1/30 or 1/45 - these speeds can cause blurness without a tripod.) Try using Shutter priority or in manual select a speed at least 1/60 or greater. On the other end the bluriness could be caused by Depth of field issues, its hard to say without seeing the images in question.

I'll see about uploading those shots from the woods... some of them would have been so cool if only they were clear! ARGH!

*assembles self*

Anyway... pray tell, dearest Steel, why the link to Hello Kitty in your sig?

Like Chris said there are a few causes of blurriness.

Your shutter speed should match your zoom/lens length. So with a 50mm lens you should use a minimum of 1/50th of a second with a 100mm;1/100th of a second.
If you have a steady hand (and with practice) you may be able to hand hold down to even 1/15 sec. with a 50mm lens.

Wind, and subject movement can also cause problems as can hand shake as well as too shallow a depth of field.

If you were taking pictures under trees with light (little) and shadow (a lot) your problem is probably too low a shutter speed. Try shooting at a higher ISO speed or reducing the depth of field (smaller f number) or using a tripod or even bracing against a tree.

Another cause could be that there is not enough light (or contrast in the object you are focusing on) for the Auto Focus system to work but I don't think that would apply in your case.

Your ideal setting is probably Shutter Priority (TS) and set the shutter to 1/60-1/100 of a second. Under trees I would set the ISO to 400 or maybe 800 if you have a slower lens (F4-5.6). If you have a fast lens like a F1.8 or F2.8 then you could probaly go with ISO 200.
You could also try the A-Dep setting which I think will adjust your shutter, aperture and ISO to get the best combination. I have never used this feature so you would have to read up on it.

A note should be made too that your camera meter will always try to average a scene to middle grey which if your shooting in shadows will make the resulting image brighter than it was in reality. This may or may not be desirable.
If your image is too bright make a note of the settings the camera used then switch to manual mode and use the same setting, just make the shutter speed slightly higher.

Diopter is the adjustment to your eyes to make them 20/20 (it's a standard measure used for your glasses perscription). There is a minor adjustment on the eyepeice of your camera but depending on your eyes it may or may not help. This will only help if you are shooting without your glasses. If you are shooting with your glasses then adjusting the diopter will cause blurry problems. (This doesn't affect image quality in anyway it only affects what you see through the view finder)

To stop the flash from popping up you need to turn the little mode selector dial to flash off which if I remember looks like a little lightning bolt with a line through it.

You guys are the best... the bestest evah! ;)

If you were taking pictures under trees with light (little) and shadow (a lot) your problem is probably too low a shutter speed. Try shooting at a higher ISO speed or reducing the depth of field (smaller f number) or using a tripod or even bracing against a tree.

Yes, there was more shadow than light... it creates the most interesting visuals. I just wish I could tell with the preview window if the image is clear or not so I could have another chance at taking the shot.

Your shutter speed should match your zoom/lens length. So with a 50mm lens you should use a minimum of 1/50th of a second with a 100mm;1/100th of a second.
If you have a steady hand (and with practice) you may be able to hand hold down to even 1/15 sec. with a 50mm lens.

[snip]

Your ideal setting is probably Shutter Priority (TS) and set the shutter to 1/60-1/100 of a second. Under trees I would set the ISO to 400 or maybe 800 if you have a slower lens (F4-5.6). If you have a fast lens like a F1.8 or F2.8 then you could probaly go with ISO 200.
You could also try the A-Dep setting which I think will adjust your shutter, aperture and ISO to get the best combination. I have never used this feature so you would have to read up on it.

It will be key for me to understand the relationships between the lens and shutter speed... that's what'll help me have more control over the results, right?

Diopter is the adjustment to your eyes to make them 20/20 (it's a standard measure used for your glasses perscription). There is a minor adjustment on the eyepeice of your camera but depending on your eyes it may or may not help. This will only help if you are shooting without your glasses. If you are shooting with your glasses then adjusting the diopter will cause blurry problems. (This doesn't affect image quality in anyway it only affects what you see through the view finder)

I see. Thanks for the explanation.

To stop the flash from popping up you need to turn the little mode selector dial to flash off which if I remember looks like a little lightning bolt with a line through it.

Yes, and in doing so it makes the other options unavailable... like macro, my favorite one to play with. I don't always want flash in low light settings, but the camera seems to think I do. :)

If you set the camera to either Aperture or Time priority the flash will not come on unless you pop it up.
Also, try playing with AF Points (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos300d/page4.asp) and see if you get better results since auto-focus will, most of the time, focus on what it thinks is the best.

Yes, and in doing so it makes the other options unavailable... like macro, my favorite one to play with. I don't always want flash in low light settings, but the camera seems to think I do. :)

Macro is feature of the lens not the camera. The camera macro setting will only set the features of the camera (shutter speed, aperture, metering and focus points) to work well with macro shots. You can take macro shots with any setting, just some will work better than others.
For easy macros just set your lens to manual focus and set focus to the closest distance it can focus (move camera to get subject in focus), this will give you maximum magnification.
As for dial setting try AV, TV or M (manual). For macros you will want a medium shutter speed, 1/100 - 1/250 (faster for moving subjects) and something like F11-F16 to give you a good depth of field. Adjust ISO to achieve these settings. If you are using a tripod (which is a good idea) then you could use a slower shutter speed if your subject isn't moving.


You should be able to zoom in using the LCD on the rear of the camera to check focus of your images, not ideal but helpful.

Also get into the habit of using the info review function (menu setting) which shows a histogram next to the last image you shot to show exposure. The histogram will look similar to the one in the PS levels dialog box.

Using the image review you should be able to get good shots by checking focus and exposure.



To get nice dark shadows and patches of light under trees you will have to use manual exposure. Where dark is prominent your camera exposure system will always overexpose. You will have to take some test shots and adjust aperture, shutter speed and ISO until you get what you want.

Like this image here, which I under exposed by 2 f-stops from what the camera wanted to do.
http://www.millarphoto.com/albums/march05_2/normal__V9C5355.jpg

:)