Photography - Technique and Equipment considerations

[Taryn]

Thanks CJ, it must have taken you ages to find all those links for me.
I will look at it all properly tomorrow..........I've had way too much vodka tonight to understand any of it.

[Taryn]

After looking at loads of cameras, I keep going back to the Nikon D90. More than I was going to spend and that's just for the body, but I like the idea of having the video function as well.

http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imagi ... /index.htm

[CJ]

After looking at loads of cameras, I keep going back to the Nikon D90. More than I was going to spend and that's just for the body, but I like the idea of having the video function as well.

http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imagi ... /index.htm

That'll do the trick, now you can get ready to spend a small fortune on lenses. If you have cash-to-splash look at the Nikon 105mm or a lens I didn't mention as I thought it was too far out your price range the Sigma 150mm f3.5 macro.

[Taryn]

After looking at loads of cameras, I keep going back to the Nikon D90. More than I was going to spend and that's just for the body, but I like the idea of having the video function as well.

http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imagi ... /index.htm

That'll do the trick, now you can get ready to spend a small fortune on lenses. If you have cash-to-splash look at the Nikon 105mm or a lens I didn't mention as I thought it was too far out your price range the Sigma 150mm f3.5 macro.

It's more confusing looking at the lenses than it was the cameras. I looked at those two lenses and they look brilliant............but I can't afford them. If I could it would be the Nikon 105. I am going to spend so much on the camera that I will have to get a much cheaper lens for now.

This is one seems ok to me........what do you think?

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/cat ... /Show.html

[CJ]

I have to say you are doing this the wrong way around. A basic body and a good lens will deliver a good image, an expansive body with a poor lens will not deliver as good a picture. All lenses called Macro are NOT true close focus macro lenses, the Tamron you linked to is a medium price range consumer zoom lens it will not produce close up images, you could not have taken the frozen droplet shot with it. This is why DSLRs are not necessarily the right camera for they type of close up shots you have shown you like to do. The type of photo you want to produce determines the equipment you need.

[Feck]

I have to say you are doing this the wrong way around. A basic body and a good lens will deliver a good image, an expansive body with a poor lens will not deliver as good a picture. All lenses called Macro are NOT true close focus macro lenses, the Tamron you linked to is a medium price range consumer zoom lens it will not produce close up images, you could not have taken the frozen droplet shot with it. This is why DSLRs are not necessarily the right camera for they type of close up shots you have shown you like to do. The type of photo you want to produce determines the equipment you need.

Most DSLRS + the standard lens they are sold with have less telephoto potential and less macro capabilities than a similar /or less fixed lens camera.
There is is too much choice at the moment,unfortunatly the best way to find the best camera for you is to spend time with the wrong camera . Ask to try out friends cameras or spend some time reading reviews,but beware , how much money do you want to spend ?

[Taryn]

I do understand what you are both saying, but I really want to get the the D90. I should probably just get the body now and then save up for a better lens but it will drive me mad not to be able to use it. I thought if I got a more general use lens for now I can get used to using the camera while I'm saving up for the Nikon 105 lens.

[CJ]

I do understand what you are both saying, but I really want to get the the D90. I should probably just get the body now and then save up for a better lens but it will drive me mad not to be able to use it. I thought if I got a more general use lens for now I can get used to using the camera while I'm saving up for the Nikon 105 lens.

Cool. As long as you realise that initially the better body with the basic lens will be a step down in actual capability compared to what you currently have. If you are going to save up for the Nikon 105 lens you will have a superb set up. Factor in a Manfroto MONOPOD at some point and if you really, really go the whole hog then the Nikon macro flash system is also superb. You are on your way to an absolutly 1st class camera system, and debt. And don't forget 7dayshop.com for the memory cards if the ones you already have don't fit the D90.

[Taryn]

I got my camera. I got the Nikon D90 as a package which included the kit lens, Nikkor AF-S 18-105mm, and then my hubby bought me the Tamron AF 70-300mm Tele-Macro lens as well. It was a bargain though, because buying the package meant he got it half price........and so was the polarising filter and the camera bag that I bought. I really don't think I should ever go in a camera shop again.

[CJ]

I got my camera. I got the Nikon D90 as a package which included the kit lens, Nikkor AF-S 18-105mm, and then my hubby bought me the Tamron AF 70-300mm Tele-Macro lens as well. It was a bargain though, because buying the package meant he got it half price........and so was the polarising filter and the camera bag that I bought. I really don't think I should ever go in a camera shop again.

So we won't be seeing you here for a while as you learn about your new toy

[CJ]

The aperture is the size of the hole in the lens that lets the light in. The higher the number (f-stop) the smaller the hole and the less light gets in so f8 is a larger hole than f16 and therefore lets in more light. This is the affect of aperture on exposure, on bright days you use a smaller hole (f16) than on a darker day when you use a larger hole (f8). But that is not the whole story.

The size of the aperture also affects the depth-of-field in the image which is how much of the image appears to be in focus from close to the camera to far away from the camera. The smaller the hole the greater the depth-of-field, so f16 (smaller hole) has a greater depth-of-field than f8 (larger hole). In the following sequence of images the hole gets smaller from top to bottom starting at f3.5 (the lenses' maximum aperture (biggest hole)) to f22 (the smallest hole used in the example).

In the first image the Bluebell stands out from the unfocused background, by the last image the background detail is much more obvious. Which photo you like best is down to personal taste.

f3.5


f5.0


f6.3


f8


f10


f13


f16


f22


If the hole got smaller why didn't the picture get darker? The camera kept the hole open longer so the same total amount light got in. It did this by opening the shutter for a longer period each time the hole got smaller.

Lens Sigma 180mm f3.5 Macro. Bluebell about 1m in front of the lens, background about 12m from the camera.

[CJ]

This is a small crop from the f16 frame at 1:1 camera:screen pixel so this is how much area on the sensor the actual image took up.



f16 full image

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Did you use a tripod for those shots CJ? I would assume so, especially with the smaller apertures.

[CJ]

Did you use a tripod for those shots CJ? I would assume so, especially with the smaller apertures.

No. I sat down cross legged and supported the camera with my elbows on my knees. The Sony Alpha 100 body has an anti-shake mechanism which is, as you can see, bloody good! But without that feature you are absolutly correct the shutter speeds are way too long for the effective focal length of the lens which is 270mm when the smaller digital sensor in the camera is taken into consideration.

[Taryn]

I got my camera. I got the Nikon D90 as a package which included the kit lens, Nikkor AF-S 18-105mm, and then my hubby bought me the Tamron AF 70-300mm Tele-Macro lens as well. It was a bargain though, because buying the package meant he got it half price........and so was the polarising filter and the camera bag that I bought. I really don't think I should ever go in a camera shop again.

So we won't be seeing you here for a while as you learn about your new toy

No