confused about shutter/aperture/iso
Oct 28, 2012 17:05:02 #
i'm trying to take a few indoor pictures without flash of friends and family using my canon t2i and a cheapo 50mm f/1.8 lens. i was told that this lens would be fast enough to capture indoor pics without a flash. but when i look at them, they are all blurry. what am i doing wrong? need to figure out the right shutter speed, aperture and iso... can anyone help? what good is a fast lens if you can't take advantage of the f/1.8?
Oct 28, 2012 17:19:23 #
Could be the "cheapo" lens. A Canon 50mm f1.8 lens from Amazon is only $104.00, that should give you decent pictures.
Oct 28, 2012 18:01:15 #
this is the lens i have... canon 50mm f/1.8 II. do i need a better/faster lens?
mel wrote:
Could be the "cheapo" lens. A Canon 50mm f1.8 lens from Amazon is only $104.00, that should give you decent pictures.
Oct 28, 2012 19:00:42 #
Hard to tell without posting a photo. When you do, check the 'store original' box, then it will give the exif.
Oct 28, 2012 19:02:46 #
Maybe post a photo? Remember....even a bad photo can turn out to be a great learning tool.
Oct 28, 2012 19:06:55 #
f1.8 should surprise you with the light it captures, and should not be blurry. I'm very pleased with my Nikon 50mm f1.8. No need to go faster for me.
Oct 28, 2012 19:43:00 #
Bret wrote:
Maybe post a photo? Remember....even a bad photo can turn out to be a great learning tool.
Right. Post one of your bad pics and click (store original) next to the Browse button.
Oct 28, 2012 20:53:39 #
FAQ: Understanding Exposure: shutter duration, aperture, and ISO
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-26504-1.html
An aperture of f/1.8 is good size (aka fast lens). You should be able to use indoors. Increase your ISO to make your sensor more sensitive to light. Hand-held, your shutter duration should NOT be slower than 1/60-sec (guideline is shutter duration quicker than 1/focal length).
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-26504-1.html
An aperture of f/1.8 is good size (aka fast lens). You should be able to use indoors. Increase your ISO to make your sensor more sensitive to light. Hand-held, your shutter duration should NOT be slower than 1/60-sec (guideline is shutter duration quicker than 1/focal length).
Oct 29, 2012 00:12:03 #
Wabbit
Loc: Arizona Desert
Histogram wrote:
i'm trying to take a few indoor pictures without flash of friends and family using my canon t2i and a cheapo 50mm f/1.8 lens. i was told that this lens would be fast enough to capture indoor pics without a flash. but when i look at them, they are all blurry. what am i doing wrong? need to figure out the right shutter speed, aperture and iso... can anyone help? what good is a fast lens if you can't take advantage of the f/1.8?
Hey Doc ..... there are two types of blur, one from camera shake and the other is from your subject moving .....
with a picture I could tell you what you did
Oct 29, 2012 01:16:10 #
Histogram,
When you decide to photograph by "existing light" you take on the responsibility of judging the quality (not just quantity) of that light. When you look at Aunt Millie sitting in a chair, you must learn to notice that the light from that table-lamp on her other side is shining on her, but leaving her face in shadow. There may be enough light to photograph Aunt Millie, but her face is still in the shadow, unless you get her to face a different direction. You will be rewarded by learning to notice where the light is coming from, and where it is going.
When you decide to photograph by "existing light" you take on the responsibility of judging the quality (not just quantity) of that light. When you look at Aunt Millie sitting in a chair, you must learn to notice that the light from that table-lamp on her other side is shining on her, but leaving her face in shadow. There may be enough light to photograph Aunt Millie, but her face is still in the shadow, unless you get her to face a different direction. You will be rewarded by learning to notice where the light is coming from, and where it is going.
Oct 29, 2012 04:57:26 #
What is causing the blur? Is it just out of focus or is it shake or motion blur?
If the former, then check your auto-focus is turned on or focus manually. Remember, too, that at f/1.8 the depth of field will be shallow, so make sure you focus on what matters, normally the eyes.
If the latter, you can set the T2i to Auto ISO using the ISO button. Do this and in aperture priority set the lens to f/1.8 and see what ISO/speed the camera uses. This will show you how much light there is. Speed should be faster than 1/60 sec and ISO should be not more than 1600 unless the place is really dark. Note that you can set the max ISO on Auto ISO using the Menu/Camera Tab (p63 of the manual).
If the former, then check your auto-focus is turned on or focus manually. Remember, too, that at f/1.8 the depth of field will be shallow, so make sure you focus on what matters, normally the eyes.
If the latter, you can set the T2i to Auto ISO using the ISO button. Do this and in aperture priority set the lens to f/1.8 and see what ISO/speed the camera uses. This will show you how much light there is. Speed should be faster than 1/60 sec and ISO should be not more than 1600 unless the place is really dark. Note that you can set the max ISO on Auto ISO using the Menu/Camera Tab (p63 of the manual).
Oct 29, 2012 06:00:21 #
kb2ekt
Loc: Binghamton,N.Y.
Make sure the lens you buy is'nt plastic.ONLY buy lens made of glass.............
Oct 29, 2012 06:15:00 #
Are you shooting in program mode? For a hand held shot, you are probably going to want to have a shutter speed of at least 1/60, but you might be able to do 1/30th if you are able to brace yourself.
Try shooting in the Shutter Priority mode, setting your shutter to 1/60th or 1/100th of a second. An ISO of 400 will give you enough light in most indoors circumstances and that f1.8 lens should work well.
Posting photos here as others have suggested would be a big help.
Try shooting in the Shutter Priority mode, setting your shutter to 1/60th or 1/100th of a second. An ISO of 400 will give you enough light in most indoors circumstances and that f1.8 lens should work well.
Posting photos here as others have suggested would be a big help.
Oct 29, 2012 06:38:48 #
Grant Good
Loc: Gold Coast AUSTRALIA
It would most likely be your shutter speed (not fast enough to hand hold. Use a tripod, take your reading from one of the faces using the spot meter and set it on manual, that way it will be locked in. If your shutter speed is below 1/60 the tripod will stop it from bluring.. the subjects will have to be very still as well, they will blurr if they move. It is a fast lens, meaning your aperture can open up to 1.8.. letting in lots of light.. allowing you to shot in low available light. If you find there is not enough light up your ISO. The lower the ISO the less grainy the pic is, upping the ISO will allow you to shoot in lower light but the trade off is the image becomes more grainy the higher you go..
Oct 29, 2012 06:53:21 #
A few 'rules of thumb' to keep in mind. Basic rule of the relationship between aperture openings also known as f stop and shutter speed, which controls how long the shutter is kept open for light exposure of the sensor/film. The faster the shutter speed, the less blur due to subject movement. The higher the aperture opening (f-11-f-16) the more background details will pop out. Conversely, the lower the shutter speed, the higher probability for blur, and the less amount of background detail at a wider opening (f-1.8-f-2.8/3.5) The middle range that will give you the best balance of detail is found in the f-4 through f-8 range. For handheld photography, shutter speed needs to equal that of the focal length of your lens - so if you are using a 50mm f1.8, your shutter speed should be 1/60th of a second or faster. Are the people in the picture sitting down or moving around? If moving, 1/125th to 1/250th of a second, for sure with the lens wide open (f1.8). The background will be blurred due to the wide-open aperture. If you are looking for greater detail, stop it down to f8 or f11. This will cause a corresponding decrease in shutter speed something to keep in mind. Your ISO regulates the sensitivity of the sensor (in the old days of film, this was called film speed and was also known as ASA) meaning that the higher the ISO setting, the more reactive to light it becomes specifically ISO-400 is 4 times faster than ISO-100, and is great for low-light. The problem with higher ISOs (400 and above) is that they tend to generate a lot of noise, or graininess in the image. The model you are using will have visible grain at ISO 640 and above in low-light settings such as you described. There are a couple of ways to work around this the most productive one is to use a tripod with a shutter release. Having a stable camera will allow you to use a lower ISO provided people are sitting still to reduce the visible noise. If that isnt possible, you might want to look at purchasing a very nifty application called Noise Ninja. This application integrates with all forms of Photoshop and will accept Picassa-sourced post-edited images as well. Noise Ninja will significantly reduce the noise factor. Note that I said reduce not eliminate. For more info about your camera, try this link: http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon_EOS_550D_Rebel_T2i/noise_JPEG.shtml To learn about Noise Ninja - http://www.picturecode.com/index.php .
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