Camera Settings!!! (Page 2): I dont have any advice but it is a beautiful photo...

marissa Loc: Maine

I dont have any advice but it is a beautiful photo

debbiesweds

i can attest to that - what a wonderful, helpful and friendly forum for both beginners and professionals - i like to call myself a professional amateur or amateur professional - this forum is so educational just to read and try to learn from it!

FrumCA

AnnT1962 wrote:

I have always had a passion for taking pictures. I took this picture in auto & would like any suggestions that you may have. I need to start taking pictures in manual mode but not sure what to put the settings at. Please help in any way that you may have. This was edited in antique. I have a canon 7d camera. Thanks!

Portraits are a tough subject as there are many variables in the composition you have to deal with. If you want to work in manual mode or alternatively, aperture mode (AV)), a good starting point is to set a wide aperture - somewhere in the the f/3.5 - f/5.6 range. This gives you a shallow depth of field which makes the background blurred so that the subject stands out better. Then when setting your shutter speed remember to factor in the focal length of your lens in order to mitigate the effect of camera shake (assuming your are hand-holding your camera) and the associated blurred results.
Generally, you want to set the shutter speed higher than the focal length. For example at 100mm use 1/125 sec or higher. ISO is generally set low (100 or 200) but you may need to increase it due to low light conditions. With your 7D you can go pretty high on the ISO without worrying too much about too much grain in the photo. These are just some ideas as places to start experimenting. Good luck.

josoIII

hope you don't mind the edit input, I adjusted the color saturation, and tighten the crop.

walbrookem Loc: Michigan

what is a metering system? how do you use it?make it simple new to this LOL

walbrookem Loc: Michigan

I thought that if you set your camera on AV the camera automatically sets your shutter speed. then the article I just read person said seet shutter speed higher then the focal length of lens. DO you have to set that or will the camera set it higher then the focal length of camera for you.

josoIII

walbrookem wrote:

I thought that if you set your camera on AV the camera automatically sets your shutter speed. then the article I just read person said seet shutter speed higher then the focal length of lens. DO you have to set that or will the camera set it higher then the focal length of camera for you.

One/focal length rule, this helps to stop the image from looking blurry, if the camera is hand held.
The camera does not adjust for that yet, but I am sure it will be the next thing out of the industry, good suggestion.

with a 300mm lens, it is recommended your shutter speed be above 1/300 of a second. hence, one/focal length rule.

walbrookem Loc: Michigan

so i am a little confused. lets say i am using my 55-250 lens. I set my av mode to 5.6. lets say camera automatically sets my ss mode to under 250. what do i do? does my shutter speed have to be over 250 if so can i manually set it for 250 or will that harm my lens

Art4940 Loc: Central New Jersey

You can't harm your lens! If you have a variable speed lens the widest you can open is probably 5.6 at 250mm. You can increase your ISO to 800 or 1600 and that might depending on the light give you a shutter speed over 400th of a second
That would be the slowest shutter speed you need to avoid a blurry picture. Canon has a 1.6 crop factor on DX cameras.
250MM record at 400mm.
Try to find a digital photography class and it will give you the fundementals that you need.
In New Jersey they are given at some of the High Schools and Colleges at night as continuing education courses. Ritz Camera used to give free classes with every camera they sold.

Travis Loc: Wetumpka, Alabama

I really hate to be a stick in the mud here, but these kinds of photos really make those of us that work for a railroad cringe!!! Are these tracks live? I mean do trains run here? It really bothers me to see children near the tracks like this. I have hit two people in my 22 year career and one was not a fatality, one was. A 36 year old woman thought she could beat the train. She did not. Please, the tracks are a nice setting but if they are live tracks do not risk your life for a photo!!!

au2panner Loc: Grand Jct, CO

Here is a great site to learn a lot in a short time. Click on the beginner tab at the top and work you way through all the videos. there short, but gives a lot of info. http://www.michaelthementor.com/

AnnT1962

Trains no longer use this track but I see where you are coming from. Thanks!

jerm

walbrookem wrote:

so i am a little confused. lets say i am using my 55-250 lens. I set my av mode to 5.6. lets say camera automatically sets my ss mode to under 250. what do i do? does my shutter speed have to be over 250 if so can i manually set it for 250 or will that harm my lens

Your question involves using a fast enough shutter to compensate for any camera shake. If you hold the camera very still, you can still get clear shots at much slower shutter speeds... Add to this the image stabilization of your lens, you can likely get very clear shots at 250mm with a shutter as slow as 1/60. If you can hold the camera very still. The "rule" is just a starting point, and doesn't take into account any image stabilization.

Art4940 Loc: Central New Jersey

Your best bet is to use a tripod or a mono pod if you want consistant sharp images at low shutter speeds. Cannon IS lens (internal stabilization) along with a high ISO like 1600 or 3200 will usually produce a good image. You can handle the noise, if there is any in post processing. My Nikon D90 at 1600 ISO produces noise free images and at 3200 I have to hunt for noise. What hasn't changed if you want tack sharp images all the time invest in a good tripod

walbrookem Loc: Michigan

thanks for the advise, I will try that next time I go take pictures