What camera are you shooting with?

Practice practice practice and more practice. Digital makes it cheap and easy, all it costs is time... once you have the computer, the editing program, and the hard drive space of course.

I started with a darkroom class in high school. One of the test rolls we shot in the beginning were doing equivalent exposures to see how each setting changes the image, with the goal of having every frame properly, and more important equally, exposed. So take a roll off of Tri-X 100 iso film out on a sunny day, and shoot:

1/60 f22
1/125 f16
1/250 f11
1/500 f8
1/1000 f5.6
1/2000 f4
1/4000 f2.8
1/8000 f2


Lots of old cameras top out at 1/500 or 1/1000 though, which was fine when there was still iso 25 and iso 50 film commonly available. You only got 12, 24, or 36 shots on 35mm anyway, so you could change your iso when you ran out of film in the camera. Then you spend an hour developing the roll, another hour later making contact sheets just to see what you got if anything. I miss the process a lot but it is unquestionably easier to import digital files in to Lightroom...

Back on topic, Try shooting something moving at 1/30s, both while keeping the camera still
as it goes by as well as trying to track it with the camera and keeping it in the frame. Try again at 1/1000. Set up a tripod and shoot some flowing water at 1/1000, then 1/125, then 1/15, then 1 second.

Play with depth of field. Shoot something at f16, f8, f5.6, at f2 or f1.8. Keep the camera to subject distance the same with each shot. Try it with a landscape. A upper torso portrait. A head shot. On something as close as you can focus and big enough to fill the screen, like a flower.

Do these enough and you’ll start to learn how much shutter speed you need, or what kind of aperture you’ll want, for the image you want to make.

Then do the same sort of test, but with iso, to see how far you can push iso before image quality degrades too much for you. Try this inside, so you have room to work (and you see how it looks in low light, when you’ll likely be using high iso). Using my example before for inside, tweaked again, you’ll need a tripod or a stand...

1sec f8 iso 100
1/2 f8 200
1/4 f8 400
1/8 f8 800
1/15 f8 1600
1/30 f8 3200
1/60 f8 6400
1/125 f8 12800 (if your cameras goes that high)
1/250 f8 25600 (same)

Compare the images. How far can you go before image quality is noticeably worse on screen? Significantly worse? Unusably bad?
Don’t trust the screen on your camera, you have to look at it on a computer. This helps inform your exposure choices and decisions. My first Nikon D40 was ok at iso 1600, my Pentax K-30 was good to 1600 and ok at 3200. My current Pentax KP is solid to 6400 and workable up to 25600(!).

And take notes! Get a cheap notebook and write it down

 

i’d say about F-16 for the fraction. The sharpness does depend on the lens and on average sharpness is around F8-F11. Does depend on what you’re shooting because at 5.6 is sharp for landscape.

 

I would wait to shoot a long focal lengths at sunrise so you might get some separation in the horizon, fog and any other lateral lines with the smoke...

 

Hello. My name is Curt and I am an addict. Relapsed.

Early 80s I bought a Canon AE1. Then an A1. Then... lenses.
Then along comes DSLR. Will my lenses fit a Canon? Nope. There was an adapter that didn't work well.

I quit SLR cold turkey. And bought an A70. And a cell phone. Complete recovery! Until...

Last Oct Nikon offered the Z5, use it for a month and return it if I don't like, all on their dime. Told wife I'll get it and return it. Sure I will. Got the 24-200 lens. 1st pic I took was a candid of my wife from 2 rooms away. Blew me away and her too. She said keep it. I did.

So here I am, and I haven't figured out half the things it can do. :dunce:

btw Nikon still has the offer, $200 cheaper than what I paid.

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-store/mirrorless-camera-bundles.page#!/tag:ikc:Z 5
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-cameras/1641/z-5.html

 

I am shooting a Fuji Film X-T4. I also have an X-T3 and love them both. I am coming from few Canon's. I started with an EOS 50D then a 90D then bumped up to an EOS R. I decided to change platforms after I went to some forensic trainings that utilized the X-T1IR. I use the X-T1IR for work and back it up with the X-T4 and T3. The X-T1IR is an amazing camera and can capture some amazing things with ALS.

 

I just downsized from a Fuji X-T3 with 16-80 f4 to a barely used (like new) X-T20 with 16mm f2.8.

Wanted something a little simpler and small enough to throw into a jacket pocket. Mostly use it when doing outdoor activities.

Sold the X-T3 outfit for nearly what I paid.

 

It's been a long time since I've had a nice camera. This may be controversial, but I'm super psyched with the Leica Q-P I just grabbed (used, I need money for Taco MODZ ).

Years back, when I was living in NYC, I had a Leica M6 that I regrettably sold after I moved to CO. I wish you didn't have to pay so much for Leica's, but there is something about these cameras that speaks to me. Maybe…one day I'll get a used digital M.

Likely will sell my Ricoh GR3 if anyone is interested.

 

a d7100 that has seen better days, and stashing coin away for a D850 and a new water housing.

 

I got my Biden Bucks the other night, so I'm about to buy a D850 - looking at KEH, Ebay etc for a good specimen.

 

Finally upgraded from my Nikon D5100 and 18-55mm kit lens that I’ve had for the last 6.5 years to a Canon 90D, 18-135mm, and 50mm lens. Loving the quality so far!


_MG_0216 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_MG_0657 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_MG_0709 by Brent Prater, on Flickr_MG_0744 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_MG_0777 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_MG_0825 by Brent Prater, on Flickr

 

D850 ordered, paid $120 for overnight shipping and insurance through Fedex, and it didn't make it today by 4:30pm.

I'm really losing faith in Fedex and UPS. I don't know if anyone else has had a lot of late deliveries, yes, some will say it's the pandemic and the amount of volume. Maybe.

I don't know. But, since this is not a Saturday delivery, my overnight shipment now turns into a wait til Monday shipment.

Grrrr.

 

Hope it was worth the 120

 

Well obviously not. Thankfully I found some good ammo on Fedex's website for disputing the charge altogether with my bank.

 

You musta REALLY wanted some bunny pictures to pay that much

 

I have a '15 D7200, but also would like to move into a D750, D800 D850... Still waiting for the prices to drop a bit more ... hope you like yours

 

Oh my.
Zim

 

Sony a6600, Sigma 16mm 1.4, Sony 18-135 3.5-5.6. I started with the F2 in the US Navy, had (2) FM2 for personal use. Loved all of them especially the FM2. Could throw the thing across the room and it still worked. Bullet proof camera, except when rock climbing.
Zim

 

Mostly? Pixel 4XL.

Planned pics? Eos RP

 

Fujifilm X