cost of photography (Page 2): Shooting from the roof of a car usually results in distortion from the refraction of light across the thermal boundary between the hot air immediately...

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

OZMON wrote:

many thanks for all replies, I suppose I should use a tripod, but I am disabled and usually I take the shots from my car, I sometimes use the roof with a bean bag to steady the camera, I always shoot with the lowest iso and aperture from f8 to f14 the iso is not on auto.
I do use a post process to get the best results,I have a very steady hand so camera shake does not appear to the problem, I will post a couple of pics so you may see what I mean.

Shooting from the roof of a car usually results in distortion from the refraction of light across the thermal boundary between the hot air immediately above the vehicle roof and the air not heated by the roof of the vehicle.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

OZMON wrote:

My question is this, what would be the cost of a good lens for my needs, I am a pensioner so that is important.

Check on Ebay for a Sigma Sigma AF 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Lens Art Series, which I found between $550 and $800. Consistant f/1.8 across all levels of zoom, fantastic for wide angle landscapes and low light scenes.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

I think landscape kind of needs a tripod. If you are using a beanbag, are you also using a remote release? It does not take a lot of motion to loose clarity at slower shutter speeds.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

OZMON wrote:

I currently use a Nikon D3300 with the kit lens, I... (show quote)

If hyperfocal distance does not do you good enough, just try to focus on the farthest subject in your image and shoot with a small enough aperture (that way, the foreground should have enough detail as well, if you shoot at a fairly wide focal length!

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

rgrenaderphoto wrote:

Check on Ebay for a Sigma Sigma AF 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Lens Art Series, which I found between $550 and $800. Consistant f/1.8 across all levels of zoom, fantastic for wide angle landscapes and low light scenes.

But for wide angle landscapes, an aperture of 1.8 is pretty useless!

dckean Loc: Midlothian, scotland

I too have a D3300 and purchased the nikon 35mm 1.8 prime lens,;which cost me £140, its good in low light and fairly sharp,not top range but it does the biz

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

OZMON wrote:

I currently use a Nikon D3300 with the kit lens, I... (show quote)

The 18-50mm has a good reputation, and 18mm is wide enough for landscape. I don't think that spending money will help. It sounds like you may be focusing on the wrong spot.

http://www.prime-junta.net/pont/How_to/m_Mastering_Wide-Angle/m_Mastering_Wide-Angle.html
https://improvephotography.com/769/hyperfocal-distance-wide-angle-lens-depth-of-field/
https://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/a-beginners-introduction-to-wide-angle-photography--photo-3765

cthahn

Stay away from zoom lenses. Learn to shoot in Manual or Aperture mode. Shoot raw only. No need to shoot JPG. A RAW file can be converted anytime from the RAW file, as the RAW file never changes. When you can do this, then go to E-Bay and you will find thousands of quality prime lens at very affordable prices. Many under $100.00. Why buy a new lens all the time. That is only for photographers to brag and spend money about their new long zoom lenses and how far away they can take a picture. They are more photos to be taken close up than far away. I have only two AE & AF lenses. The rest are fully manual, none no slower than f3.5.

kmocabee

This forum is pretty amazing - great suggestions. I would recommend one more and that is to do some real controlled testing. Do a full series of shots adjusting aperture, exposure, and ISO. Experiment with manual focus. If you have a camera store that sells used (I do in St. Louis), you might be able to borrow a prime lens for a test too and see if that gives a better result.

And as others have suggested, you might be focusing incorrectly. Wide angle lenses are hard to focus because the field of view is so large and your viewfinder is small. The D3300 has the Live View that allows you to zoom in so you can check your focus. Here is a good article that explains how that works:
http://www.dummies.com/photography/cameras/nikon-camera/nikon-d3400-dummies-cheat-sheet/

treadwl Loc: South Florida

I heard you mention disabled as a possible issue. bean bags on car roofs really do not work. I used to think I have steady hands--- But the tripod makes the difference. 90% of my landscapes are on a tripod. Try using a cable release, or the self timer on the camera so you are not touching the camera when the shutter fires. Using hyperfocal focusing is critical.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

treadwl wrote:

I heard you mention disabled as a possible issue. bean bags on car roofs really do not work. I used to think I have steady hands--- But the tripod makes the difference. 90% of my landscapes are on a tripod. Try using a cable release, or the self timer on the camera so you are not touching the camera when the shutter fires. Using hyperfocal focusing is critical.

Steve DeMott Loc: St. Louis, Missouri (Oakville area)

jackpinoh wrote:

If you can't get clear backgrounds on landscape ph... (show quote)

I looked up hyperlocal point and noticed that it should be hyperfocal point and found this interesting article that might be of some help for everyone.
http://www.outsight.com/hyperfocal.html
It explains what hyperfocal point is. Gives all the math calculations and calculators.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

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BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

OZMON wrote:

I currently use a Nikon D3300 with the kit lens, I... (show quote)

Have you given careful consideration to your focal point placement? You may be focusing on too near an object and excluding the far points from the best DOF. Just my $0.02.

MjTahoe Loc: Napa Valley / Lake Tahoe / California Sierra

For landscapes, a wide angle lens is not always the best choice.
Curvature and drop off at edges can be distracting.
My choice in many cases, not all, is a normal (50mm).
I take multiple, panned images, then stitch them together.
This image is an example... it is seven (7) images, panned left to right, hand held

(Download)