boeckli Posted February 20, 2012 #1451 Share Posted February 20, 2012 It's nice to have a photogenic pet...helps when you don't have an opportunity to go anywhere exploring with your new camera! Beautiful bird you have! :) I have to really on visiting ones ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pierces Posted February 20, 2012 Author #1452 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) It's nice to have a photogenic pet...helps when you don't have an opportunity to go anywhere exploring with your new camera! That said, I'm slightly discouraged and intimidated by my new Canon t2i. I've worked with a DSLR before, took a class in college where everything we did was 100% manual...but I'm having trouble getting all the different settings to work with each other on this camera. I know that will come with practice and experience...but even using auto focus and the program mode, I'm hardly getting any decent photos, and even the decent ones aren't really sharp... The below picture is about the best I've gotten, taken using the program mode and my 50mm f/1.8 lens, which is supposed to be really sharp, is it not? Just a note. Take your autofocus off of Wide area (default) and try using the central AF point setting and one-shot (not servo mode) to focus specifically and then re-compose. Wide area relies on the camera to make the decision when there are a lot of possible focus points and in a situation where depth of field is somewhat or very shallow (50mm f/1.8!), the difference of less than an inch in the focus point can take your subject from tack sharp to soft. Wide area and AI-servo are great for some situations where the subject is moving erratically (lightning fast children), but I find that putting myself in control of the focus point results in far more sharply-focused shots. Dave Edited February 20, 2012 by pierces Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taffy12 Posted February 21, 2012 #1453 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Just a note. Take your autofocus off of Wide area (default) and try using the central AF point setting and one-shot (not servo mode) to focus specifically and then re-compose. Wide area relies on the camera to make the decision when there are a lot of possible focus points and in a situation where depth of field is somewhat or very shallow (50mm f/1.8!), the difference of less than an inch in the focus point can take your subject from tack sharp to soft. Wide area and AI-servo are great for some situations where the subject is moving erratically (lightning fast children), but I find that putting myself in control of the focus point results in far more sharply-focused shots. Dave Thanks for for the advice. I'll definitely try that out. In the meantime, here's a few photos I took yesterday. The first is a friend's cat. It's a little blurry, not quite in focus...but I kind of like it anyway. After that is the amazing cake said friend made for a baby shower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taffy12 Posted February 21, 2012 #1454 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Still not sharp (despite using the manual autofocus point selection...though the low light and high ISO contribute, right?), but here's a few more. I'm not sure how I ended up with it, but I kind of like all the blurriness and such - contributes to the mood, I think. And are these too big, by the way? Should I try to post them smaller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pierces Posted February 21, 2012 Author #1455 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) Still not sharp (despite using the manual autofocus point selection...though the low light and high ISO contribute, right?), but here's a few more. I'm not sure how I ended up with it, but I kind of like all the blurriness and such - contributes to the mood, I think. And are these too big, by the way? Should I try to post them smaller? A couple of points jump out: ISO3200... great for dramatic low-light shots in situations where you have no other option, like a wedding reception where light is iffy or a sporting event where a high shutter speed is needed to freeze action. Bad for still life where a tripod and long exposure will allow for manually setting ISO to 100 or 200 and minimum noise suppression. Noise suppression will blur sharpness as it tries to smooth out the image to hide the graininess caused by high ISO. White balance...you had it set to manual and I would assume "Tungsten" for indoor lighting. If you are using CFL bulbs, you will have a hard time finding a preset or auto setting that will render the color correctly. Check the manual and use your custom white balance setting to correct for the color. This works by taking a shot of a sheet of white paper and using that as a reference to set the white point. With my Sony, I switch the WB to custom, press "set" and snap a shot of something white to set it. Some systems have you take the picture and then choose it from the WB menu to use as a reference. Check your manual for specifics. Focus point...don't just choose the center of the subject. Focus on where you want the maximum sharpness and recompose. (I often just focus manually for still life with critical focus and shallow depth of field). In you shot above, the stems supporting one cluster of blooms are sharply focused but the blossoms themselves are out of the focal plane. At 2 ft, a 50mm lens set at f/2.5 has a depth of field only about ½" deep. Try focusing on the leading cluster of blossoms specifically. That will render them sharp with the rest increasingly blurry. Another option is to stop down to f/5.6. There you will still have the background and most of the cluster out of focus but it will give you about 1¼" of sharpness to work with. Background...lose the busy background. In the wild, a natural business composed of other flowers, trees or landscape can add to the impact. The angular structures of furniture and such can be distracting. (I realize these were test images ;)) Hope this helps. Dave Edited February 21, 2012 by pierces Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeckli Posted February 21, 2012 #1456 Share Posted February 21, 2012 The bird attentively watches as DH pours fresh water into the bird bath, then hopped back up and continued drinking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johneeo Posted February 21, 2012 #1457 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Still not sharp (despite using the manual autofocus point selection...though the low light and high ISO contribute, right?), but here's a few more. I'm not sure how I ended up with it, but I kind of like all the blurriness and such - contributes to the mood, I think. And are these too big, by the way? Should I try to post them smaller? I have no problem with the size. Here is a suggestion. Try using aperture mode selection, close down the aperture a couple of F stops, which should give you larger depth of field ... more will be in focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootr Posted February 21, 2012 #1458 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Taffy12: Bridal bouquet? (Had to ask, looks like my wife's sitting on the mantle) I think your off and running. The Baby's Breath looks pretty neat, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootr Posted February 21, 2012 #1459 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Taffy12: Bridal bouquet? (Had to ask, looks like my wife's sitting on the mantle) I think your off and running. The Baby's Breath looks pretty neat, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multi-Cruiser Posted February 21, 2012 #1460 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Some shots from the first Detroit Red Wings outdoor practice. It was held at Detroit's Clark Park on February 18, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duzzy Posted February 22, 2012 #1461 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Not one I took today, but a couple of my favorites pictures from my cruise. Took this on a helicopter tour of George Town, Cayman Islands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c230k Posted February 23, 2012 #1462 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedy Posted February 23, 2012 #1463 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Not one I took today, but a couple of my favorites pictures from my cruise. Took this on a helicopter tour of George Town, Cayman Islands. Looks like heaven to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootr Posted February 24, 2012 #1464 Share Posted February 24, 2012 (For when I need a pic when wanting to express "I am not amused" on a thread/board) Cinnamon our chow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootr Posted February 24, 2012 #1465 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Yeah, me again. Playing around at sunset tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruiser Forever Posted February 25, 2012 #1466 Share Posted February 25, 2012 This thread has great photos. Thanks for sharing everyone. I hope to post a photo in the coming weeks.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueboss Posted February 26, 2012 #1467 Share Posted February 26, 2012 (edited) This was at a Cub Scout event in Houston, MO. The fire department came by to show their support for this great group of boys. Took over 200 pictures, but most have children in them and I do not have parent permission to post them. DH and I have such fun supporting the pack! Edited February 26, 2012 by Blueboss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravi09 Posted February 26, 2012 #1468 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Nice one Blueboss. I've been an active cub/boy scout during my younger days and gives me lots of fun memories. Haven't posted in a while so I dig up some photos I remember taken few weeks back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueboss Posted February 26, 2012 #1469 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Thanks Ravi09. Your's is really great too. I'm still learning my camera and all these pictures gives me ideas to try and what to strive for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine times Posted February 26, 2012 #1470 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I'm a daily shooter. I never leave home without a camera. But I haven't shot anything interesting lately. So all I have to submit is a simple picture of a geranium filled Terracotta pot sitting in my front landscape that I took this morning with my Olympus E-P1 using the Pin Hole filter. Hi, I just bought the Olympus EP1. How do you like it? I did use it for christmas and I can tell I need some help! Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judynorth Posted February 27, 2012 #1471 Share Posted February 27, 2012 This isn't a great picture but it was a beautiful sky tonight. You could see both Venus and Jupiter flanking the crescent moon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dileep Posted February 27, 2012 #1472 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Architectural divesity! Seattle skyline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayhold Posted February 27, 2012 #1473 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I was waiting at a coffee shop today and snapped a couple of photos....'cause I do that a lot. I thought to myself, "what a great idea for a thread!" I figure that we all have hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of equipment and too many of us only haul it out on special occasions or for trips. Bad photographers! Bad! Bad! Get your cameras out, find a nice composition, snap the photo and post it! Let's have some fun! Gallery Row Coffee House - Carrollton, GA Happy shooting! Dave I have nothing to add, but we're almost neighbors :D I live in Cobb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayhold Posted February 27, 2012 #1474 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I'm jealous of all the awesome pictures here! I recently sold my DSLR and bought a Canon SX20 (using CHDK for raw) and a Panasonic Lumix ZS8. I was so sick of carrying around a huge camera and so much gear that I ... wasn't. When I realized I hadn't taken a picture in months, I decided there was a problem. I do miss it sometimes, like now when I want to run outside and use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootr Posted February 27, 2012 #1475 Share Posted February 27, 2012 How come things seem to look cooler in person than when I photograph them? I'll share 'em anyways... Little copper thingy in the yard, lit by a solar powered night light. Great ambiance in person, here, eh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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