Going to a balloon festival next weekend, what should I set my camera to?
Jul 21, 2017 23:11:28 #
I would be taking pics mostly at dusk and dawn and possibly during the daytime, I have a D3400 with 77mm to 300mm lens and 18mm to 50mm lens.
Jul 21, 2017 23:38:47 #
Jul 21, 2017 23:40:15 #
Jul 21, 2017 23:45:32 #
Jul 22, 2017 00:06:41 #
mwsilvers
Loc: Central New Jersey
Laurie16 wrote:
You know what I mean😏
What he is implying is that there is no one setting that we can say will work best for you except that you need a shutter speed fast enough to prevent blurring. All else will depend on the available light and what you're hoping to achieve.
Jul 22, 2017 00:08:41 #
Jul 22, 2017 00:41:48 #
Oh yeah, I can understand that! Thanks for clearing that up!
mwsilvers wrote:
What he is implying is that there is no one setting that we can say will work best for you except that you need a shutter speed fast enough to prevent blurring. All else will depend on the available light and what you're hoping to achieve.
Jul 22, 2017 00:45:43 #
Yeah, I've never photographed hot air balloons and I am just starting to get into using Manual mode.
Wingpilot wrote:
Seriously?
Jul 22, 2017 01:24:35 #
mwsilvers wrote:
What he is implying is that there is no one setting that we can say will work best for you except that you need a shutter speed fast enough to prevent blurring. All else will depend on the available light and what you're hoping to achieve.
Correct. You would need to give much more information to get a useful answer. What would work at dusk wouldn't necessarily be useful for mid day. Shade? Sun? On ground? In air? Many more questions to be answered or information given. Funny? I thought so. But absolutely correct as well. Best of luck.
Jul 22, 2017 01:54:55 #
Laurie16 wrote:
I would be taking pics mostly at dusk and dawn and possibly during the daytime, I have a D3400 with 77mm to 300mm lens and 18mm to 50mm lens.
Well, let me think; hard at this age. We gave my mother a hot air balloon ride for her 80th birthday in 1989 (or was it 87). At the time, as I recall, I had a Nikon F3; my fastest lens was a 50mm f/1.8 and I was shooting before dawn, so I used Tri-X pushed one stop (ASA 800). Nowadays that kind of exposure would be no problem for a digital camera, but back then, I was pushing the envelope. Most of my shots turned out well. My longest lens was a 200, totally inadequate for following the ride. As for the early shots (I had to help unload the balloon, basket and burner), anything that gets you down to EV 5 or 6 should suffice. One of the best shots is the interior of the balloon as it fills. You'll need 30-40 feet depth of field from close. I don't remember what the highest useable ISO on the D3400 is, but you can experiment with the various aspects of exposure. Sadly, I gave my mother both one set of prints and the negatives; all of the prints and negatives were lost after her death and after my divorce, but it was a great ride and one of the high points of my mothers last years. That's really all that mattered.
Jul 22, 2017 03:29:09 #
#1 Shutter speed high enough so that you have no unwanted subject or camera movement visible.
#2 Aperture set to give the DOF you want.
#3 ISO to give you a "correct" exposure with your shutter speed and aperture choice (this will be very much dependant on the lighting conditions. Do not be afreaid to uincrease your ISO if need be.
I would be shooting in raw format to give me more options when PPing.
Do you understand the exposure triangle?
Know how to read a histogram
Use a metering method you are comfortable with.
Normally I will use shutter priority or aperture priority, poossibly with some exposure compensation dialed in if needed, depending on what I am will wanting to achieve.
I will only switch to full manual exposure mode if I think the in camera metering sytem will be fooled (a lot) by the scene conditions.
#2 Aperture set to give the DOF you want.
#3 ISO to give you a "correct" exposure with your shutter speed and aperture choice (this will be very much dependant on the lighting conditions. Do not be afreaid to uincrease your ISO if need be.
I would be shooting in raw format to give me more options when PPing.
Do you understand the exposure triangle?
Know how to read a histogram
Use a metering method you are comfortable with.
Normally I will use shutter priority or aperture priority, poossibly with some exposure compensation dialed in if needed, depending on what I am will wanting to achieve.
I will only switch to full manual exposure mode if I think the in camera metering sytem will be fooled (a lot) by the scene conditions.
Jul 22, 2017 05:00:15 #
Jul 22, 2017 06:04:48 #
Laurie16 wrote:
I would be taking pics mostly at dusk and dawn and possibly during the daytime, I have a D3400 with 77mm to 300mm lens and 18mm to 50mm lens.
Congrats on moving to Manual. Perhaps your subject may prove awkward (for manual practice), so may I suggest that, where possible, you double take and switch to an auto mode as well. That way you are guaranteed to go home with some pics.
PS - I think your 18-50 will be of most use on the day.Jul 22, 2017 06:47:21 #
You might want to try putting the cameraa in Manual mode. select the appropriate shutter speed and aperture, and set your camera to Auto ISO.
Jul 22, 2017 07:11:36 #
In this case I would suggest Auto for you. If you asking what settings to use and we have NOOOOOO ideal what the lighting conditions are or will be, than NOOOOO one can correctly answer your question. The fact that your asking implies you don't know how to use the camera in manual or how the camera actually works. I would suggest getting the book Understanding Exposure 3rd edition and learn about the exposure triangle. This knowledge will allow you to shoot in Any conditions. I'm guessing you'll get about 6 pages of suggestions which will leave you more confused than when you ask the question to start with.. Get the book and get a handle on how a camera works, you'll be happy you did.
Laurie16 wrote:
Yeah, I've never photographed hot air balloons and I am just starting to get into using Manual mode.
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