Camera Equipment

All posts tagged Camera Equipment

Exposure Rules

Posted by JUST PhotographIN' on May 8, 2018
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Today is a nice sunny day.  I was just out with my camera trying to capture some birds.  How did I select my exposure settings?  In a previous post, I discussed the exposure triangle.  Aperture, shutter speed and ISO make up a trio of settings that combine to create the proper exposure.  There are a couple basic exposure rules that can get in the ball park of the proper exposure in certain situations.

As I mentioned, today is a nice sunny day.  The first exposure rule is called Sunny 16.  This is where the aperture is set to f/16 and the shutter speed and ISO are set to the same value.  Back in the film days, ASA (now ISO) was a constant for the roll of film.  If I had a roll of ASA 100 film, that is the same as saying ISO 100 for a digital camera.  ISO is an international standard measurement for exposure.

On a sunny day, like today, I can get a proper exposure by simply placing my camera settings to f/16, 1/100, ISO 100.  This may be good for landscapes and still objects.  However, I was hand holding my 400mm lens while trying to capture a moving object.  This means that I need to adjust my exposure settings to compensate for these variables.

The general rule of thumb for getting a sharp image while hand holding a lens is to use a shutter speed equivalent to the focal length of the lens.  For my 400mm lens, this means that I need to use a shutter speed of 1/400 or faster to stop any motion induced by myself.  Keep in mind that I am still shooting the same bright sunny scene.

I want to keep the same exposure reading I had when I was at f/16, 1/100, ISO 100 with a new shutter speed of 1/400 to compensate for hand holding a 400mm lens.  My options are f/8, 1/400, ISO 100 or f/16, 1/400, ISO 400.  There are actually more combinations of the exposure triangle that achieve the same equivalent exposure value.  It is up to me to decide how to balance the equation.

Perhaps the clouds build.  This reduces the scene’s luminance.  There is also an overcast 8 rule that looks like f/8, 1/400, ISO 400.  I used ISO 400 because 400 speed film was a more typical all purpose film speed.  However, f/8, 1/100, ISO 100 gives the same reading on the light meter.

Digital cameras have taken away some of these really good basics.  I say that, because a camera can do all the thinking for a person and achieve a good exposure.  Back in the film days, it took a little extra thought process before the shutter button was released.  Yet, all the same fundamentals still apply and can be used in digital photography.

I shoot almost exclusively on manual mode.  Automatic modes have purposes.  They can speed up the process of taking a photograph.  I just rely more on the fundamentals to get me where I want to be.  In a way, I am challenging photographers to think more before they take a photograph.

Ask: what is the lighting of the scene?  On the next bright sunny day, set the camera to manual with f/16, 1/100, ISO 100 and see how well it exposes the scene.  Said with slight sarcasm: maybe automatic mode will become a thing of the past!  Photography is more fun when it is not so automatic.  So, remember the sunny 16 and cloudy 8 rules. Give them a try!

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Camera in Hand

Posted by JUST PhotographIN' on March 26, 2018
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There is a saying in photography that the best camera to have is the one that is in hand.  Right now, that is really hitting home for me.  My Canon 5DIII is at Canon Professional Services for some needed repairs, which leaves me with my iPhone 7 as the only camera I have in hand.

I was talking with my friend, the other day, about my photography.  While the statement about the best camera is the one in hand certainly has truth to it, I mentioned that I am not that great with taking photographs with my smartphone.  There are several reasons why.

Smartphones are too automatic.  I know that sounds a little funny, but I like to have buttons and dials to change settings.  For example: if I want to get a certain look by changing the aperture, a smartphone does not allow for me to make that change.  Long exposures at night are also more difficult with a smartphone.

There are apps out there that expand the settings of the camera on a smartphone, but there are also limitations caused by the physical components of the camera.  Again, there are attachable lenses and components that create the illusion of getting high quality photos with a smartphone.  Example: I can hold my phone up to the eye piece of my spotting scope to take a photo.

However, if I compare the quality of images taken with my smartphone to those taken with my DSLR, the DSLR wins.  So, the convenience the smartphone provides is outweighed by the quality of the image created by a real camera in most cases.

This image was taken with an iPhone 7 back camera shooting through a Celestron C5 spotting scope.  Post processing completed with Adobe Lightroom Mobile including cropping in.

This image was taken (the same night) with a Canon 5DIII mounted on a Celestron C5 spotting scope.  Post Processing completed in Adobe Lightroom CC including cropping to a square (crop does not match the iPhone 7 image).

If all I had on hand was the iPhone, then, of course, that is the camera I will use.  However, the camera that is going to give me a higher quality image is the Canon 5DIII.  I understand the limitations of the equipment and know when it is appropriate to use each for certain situations.

I used a point and shoot digital camera for awhile.  There were certain photographs that I wanted to capture that influenced my decision to step up to a DSLR.  Again, I understood what the limitations were for the equipment.  So, while I do agree with the statement that the best camera to have is the one in hand, I also understand when the equipment is limiting me from capturing an image.  If there is a situation where I do not have the right equipment, then I simply do not try to capture the moment.

My tip for this week is to use the camera in hand.  I also want to emphasize that equipment has limitations.  If the camera is not capturing the scene, perhaps a different piece of equipment is required.

Photograph Strengths

Posted by JUST PhotographIN' on February 24, 2018
Posted in: Thoughts, Tips and Tricks. Tagged: , , , , , . 1 Comment

I often run into situations where people tell me what photographs I should take.  One of the most popular suggestions is weddings.  I will admit, there is basically a guarantee to make money in wedding and portrait photography.  However, it almost drains the energy out of me to even discuss the subject of wedding photography.

My friend, Daniel, wrote a blog post about using talents and passion and how these equal strengths.  This motivated me to elaborate on my own tips and tricks to taking better photographs.  I find that I take better photographs of things that I am passionate about.  I subtly hinted at this point in my post where I discuss the subject of a photograph.

In a way, I try to play to my strengths.  I know that I am not passionate about photographing weddings, and I feel that it would show in the photographs I would take.  This does not mean I cannot be a wedding photographer.  The point is that it is harder for me to find motivation to be a wedding photographer.  Therefore, it becomes more of a weakness compared to a strength.

On the other side of the strength scale, I run to grab my camera when a bobcat walks into the yard.  It is a passion of mine to observe wildlife and hike in nature.  This is also what drives me to pick up the camera.  It is a challenge to capture just the right moment when an animal makes a certain gesture.  Being in the right place to capture a sunrise or sunset is also fun and exciting to me.  The photographs turn out better because I have a passion to take them.

It may sound odd, but my tip for this week is to ask: is there something that clicks and says, I should capture this moment?  Maybe this is a strength.  Does a bobcat walking through the yard encourage picking up the camera?  Is taking photographs of people invigorating?  I find that I take better photographs of subjects that I am passionate about.  Therefore, I play to my strength and politely shy away from my weakness.

Introduction to Lenses

Posted by JUST PhotographIN' on February 14, 2018
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As I was beginning to get more serious about photography, I started asking other photographers for advice about equipment.  I looked at what they were using and tested out different camera bodies from different manufacturers.  There was one piece of advice that I heard several times: get good lenses (often referred to as glass).  I am glad I followed this advice, and have reciprocated the advice to other folks who ask me about equipment.

There are several reasons why I think it is important to get good quality glass.  The lens is what actually creates the image.  A high-end, expensive camera with the best sensor only captures what it is seeing through the glass that is placed in front of it.  Meaning, if the quality of the lens is poor, the image will be poor regardless of how good the sensor in the camera may be.

Lenses can have different specifications.  They can be wide-angle, normal, or telephoto.  This changes the perspective of what the lens can see.  Some lenses can zoom between focal lengths to change the angle of view more quickly without having to change the lens.  Other lenses have a fixed focal length (referred to as prime lenses). There are fast lenses and slow lenses, which is a reference to the aperture of the lens and how much light it will let pass through to the sensor.

Wide-angle lenses are lenses that see a greater angle of view from side to side.  They are lenses with focal lengths less than 50mm.  I have a 16-35mm super wide-angle zoom lens that I use for landscapes and astrophotography.  It is also a fast lens with a f/2.8 aperture that lets in a lot of light for low light situations.

Normal lenses are typically 50-85mm.  These are good for portrait photography.  I do not take many portraits.  However, I know a lot of portrait photographers who use something in this range.  People are rendered nicely by these focal lengths.

Telephoto lenses are going to range anywhere between 70-400mm.  I use a 70-200mm zoom lens for portrait work as well as some wildlife and landscape photography.  This is my go to lens if I want to carry one lens that will cover a wide range of possible distances.  I tend to get more questions with this lens, as well.  Longer lenses tend to attract more attention.

Speaking of longer lenses, the final category is the super telephoto, which is basically anything 400mm or higher.  These lenses are great for wildlife and sports.  They are probably the most recognizable lenses out there due to their size.  People often migrate toward me when I have my 400mm f/5.6 lens on.  They are intrigued to ask what I am shooting or make a comment like: “I wish I had that camera (they really mean lens).”

Last year, I added a spotting scope to my lenses.  It is a 1250mm focal length, f/10 aperture, Celestron C5 spotting scope.  Again, people migrate toward me when I am using this lens.  It is unique for photography, and offers a slightly different perspective.

Lenses impact the photographs that can be created.  My challenge for this week is: take a look at the lens.  Find out what the technical specifications are: what is the focal length of the lens?  What is the aperture range?  Is it a prime lens or zoom lens?  Next week, I will be going more in depth about aperture with a video to demonstrate how it works.

What is the Subject?

Posted by JUST PhotographIN' on February 7, 2018
Posted in: Thoughts, Tips and Tricks. Tagged: , , , , , . 1 Comment

Today, I want to talk about the subject of photographs, and why it is important to pick one.  Sometimes, subjects are easy to pick.  Other times, they are more difficult to see.  They can be any number of things: wildlife, flowers, people, landscapes, objects, specific events, etc..

What is the subject of these photos?

I think it is easy to say that a Red Fox is the subject.

Back in February of 2016, I made a trip to Yellowstone National Park to observe wildlife and view the scenery.  My main objective was to observe wolves in their natural habitat, which I was able to accomplish.  There are photographs that document this experience.  However, the Red Fox photographs are more intriguing to me, because the subject stands out.

When I look at these two photographs, it is easy for me to identify what I am looking at.  This is an important tip for photography.  Having a clear idea of what the subject of a photograph is helps make other decisions about how to make the photograph.  I used a telephoto lens on a cropped frame camera to capture the above photographs of the Red Fox.  This is due to the distance required to maintain safety of persons and animals.

One of my favorite lenses is my macro lens.  This is great for capturing close ups of flowers, such as this pasque flower.

However, I would not recommend using a macro lens for wildlife photography.  The subjects are not the same, and they require different equipment to capture them properly.  Vice versa, I do not try to capture macro moments with my telephoto lens. Honestly, this is something I observe a lot of people doing.

Knowing what the subject is also helps define how to interact with it.  As I mentioned above, wildlife need distance.  Flowers do not.  Therefore, the interaction is different.  If the subject is people, maybe the interaction is more casual or formal.  Capturing this moment on a family vacation was a casual experience, and I think the photograph depicts that.

Interacting with the subject is part of the experience of creating the photograph.  This is why it is important to know what the subject of the photograph is.  I am continually learning more about wildlife, flowers, and people that I photograph.

Having a defined subject helps create better photographs.  It helps answer other questions that I will dive deeper into in future posts.  What is the subject of the photograph?  Ponder this question during the week.

 

Spotting Scope Photography

Posted by JUST PhotographIN' on March 22, 2017
Posted in: Thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

On Monday, I took my new Celestron C5 spotting scope out to view a nesting Great Horned Owl.  The scope kit comes with a standard eye piece for optical viewing.  However, they also offer an adapter that allows a camera to mount to the scope for use as a super telephoto lens.  This was my main objective when I bought the scope.

Monday was my first time setting up the scope with the camera mounted on it.  There are some technical details to take into consideration when photographing with a long focal length.  I also use a 400mm lens that has similar issues, although not as exaggerated.

File Mar 22, 12 13 22

This is looking into the front of the Celestron C5 spotting scope.  The technical specs are shown around the perimeter: focal length of 1250mm with an aperture of f/10 making the primary mirror diameter 127mm.  There is also no image stabilization.

File Mar 22, 13 54 52

The owls have nested around this location for several years.  I setup the scope with the eye piece to get the scope pointed at the right location.  Then, removed the eye piece and attached the camera on the adapter.

File Mar 22, 12 35 03

The above photo is with the camera on “live view” mode.  I ran into a few issues with live view.  First, there was glare from the ambient light on the screen.  Second, in order to view anything on the screen, I had to adjust the shutter speed to a  much longer exposure than was required for the actual exposure.  I am guessing this is due to the camera not having the aperture information to calculate the overall exposure when displaying the image on the screen.  The camera is more than likely reading the light within the scope itself, which is much darker than the ambient light within the scene.

As I mentioned in the technical information about the scope, the aperture is fixed at f/10.  This means I am controlling the exposure with adjustments to shutter speed and ISO.  The general rule of thumb to freeze camera motion is to use a shutter speed equivalent to or greater than the focal length.  In this case, that means faster than 1/1250th of a second.  This is where having a camera with good high ISO performance comes in handy.  It turns out that the rule of thumb of placing ISO and shutter speed equivalent to each other gave me the proper exposure for the scene.  I went with ISO 1600 and shutter speed of 1/1600 at the fixed aperture of f/10 provided from the scope.

This may sound like over kill.  Yes, I could have used ISO 1250 and shutter speed of 1/1250.  However, there was a slight breeze which added motion to everything, and I wanted to make sure I was getting the fastest shutter speed to freeze the motion as much as possible.  This is not talking about the owl movement, which would have been frozen at a much slower shutter speed of possibly down to 1/500th or slower (since she was not moving that much).  I am strictly speaking about the subtle shake in the camera setup on the scope.

Eyes On

This is the resulting image.  There are a few more tricks to reduce camera shake.  I already mentioned one of them above: shoot with live view.  Live view inherently locks the mirror up which reduces the “mirror slap” that occurs during a normal exposure.  The camera also has a mirror lock up function, which is the mode I ultimately used to take the photos.  Mirror lock up requires a double press of the shutter release button.  The first press locks the mirror up.  The second exposes the image.

There are drawbacks to this, as the timing of events in the scene may change by the time the photo is exposed.  I did not time the actual sequence, but I am guessing there was around a two second delay between the first shutter click and the second shutter click to allow for the shake to minimize from the mirror flipping up.

Owl Blink

After the mirror flips up, I can no longer visibly see what is in the view finder.  This means things can change in the time it takes to hit the shutter to expose the image.  For example, when I started the process for this image, the owls eyes were open.  By the time I hit the shutter to expose the image, she was blinking.  It was an odd coincidence to capture this moment.  Had I seen her blink, it would have been too late to capture the moment, due to the delay from the mirror locking up and hitting the shutter release the second time to expose the image.

This can be reduced by shooting the images with live view.  However, the exposure setting to view anything on the screen was not appropriate for the exposure of the scene.  This resulted in a blank image full of white pixels since everything was overexposed.  Again, I am unsure if this is due to the camera not having the aperture information to assist with calculating the exposure to display on the screen.  Canon EF lenses communicate aperture information with the camera body.

Lastly, I was also using a remote trigger for the shutter release.  This allowed for hands free operation of the camera to further reduce motion of the camera.  Using the shutter release button on the camera requires a press which in turn induces motion into the setup.  The remote shutter release removes this induced motion.

At any rate, I was thrilled with the results from my first attempt to use the Canon 5DIII mounted on the Celestron C5 spotting scope!  I am looking forward to more trips out into the field with the setup.  I am sure I will get more familiar with the intricacy of shooting with the setup.

Keeping Up with Demand

Posted by JUST PhotographIN' on March 23, 2014
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Wow, this month has been interesting.  I am using my Canon 5D III to shoot video of a production at church.  I am finding that my equipment list may need to expand, again.

The main issues I am encountering are battery and memory capacity.  I have two batteries for my camera, as I always like to have a spare on hand in any situation.  Well, shooting video requires a lot of power, and one battery does not last the entire show length.  I have to either swap out batteries during a break, or hope it does not run out during an important scene!  Luckily, I have recorded the show a few times and can plan for the battery swap during one of the scene breaks.

The other issue that I ran into during a test run during rehearsal was memory card capacity.  I ended up working around this by lowering the video quality a little bit and recording in IPB instead of ALL-I.  Unfortunately, shooting in IPB allows the camera to compress multiple frames at one time to save space, and it is not the best format for post editing.  However, I am not going to be doing that much post editing for this video.  In this case, that made the compressed file size worth it.  I am able to record the entire show on one card.  If I were to shoot the entire show using the ALL-I format, I would be running over on memory capacity.  This would require planning a memory card swap similar to the battery capacity issue.

These are minor issues that I also encountered.  Some of them are just technicalities that I will have to adjust for or learn more about.  Others can be fixed with additional equipment.  I recorded the show a few nights using different lenses to get different angles of view.  Some of the things that I noticed involved my current tripod and tripod head.  When panning, the camera tilts off level unless it is pointing in the direction I initially set it up for.  Although, it is a subtle tilt, a keen eye may notice.  I shot with my wide angle lens, one night, in order to cover the entire set.  However, I was not necessarily thrilled with the result of having people in the crowd over shadowing the performers on the stage.  It is a cool view, being that it really puts the viewer in the crowd.  I’m not sure that is the point of view I would prefer.

Another subtle issue is zooming.  I made the decision not to zoom during recording.  This left me with fixed focal lengths.  Part of my decision was based on the types of lenses that I am using.  They are designed primarily for still photography with quick zoom and focus characteristics.  This is not necessarily a good characteristic for shooting video.  There are lenses designed for cinema that have smoother zoom and focus.

Some of the solutions I thought of to fix these issues include purchasing: more battery power [which may include a battery grip] or an AC adapter, larger memory cards, a better tripod head that will keep the camera level through panning, a taller tripod or stand, and, of course, there are always more lenses.

On a similar but different note, I am still debating how much portrait photography I want to do.  I have a decent amount of equipment for this type of photography, now.  However, I see a few more items to add if I am going to increase in this area.  The main equipment being lighting.  I can get by with what I have.  There is always more to add.  This reflects on one of my earlier posts about “how much is too much?”  This post also brings up a good question of where I want to end up, and how much demand there is for each type of photography.

How much is too much?

Posted by JUST PhotographIN' on July 15, 2013
Posted in: Geeky. Tagged: , , , . 1 Comment

Of course, photography requires equipment [gear or gadgets]!  With different photographic subjects comes a list of required and optional gear.  How much is too much?

My main drive for photography has been to explore the natural world around me.  That includes landscapes, wildlife and wildflowers.  My macro lens can focus at 11.92 inches from the focal plane giving a one to one life size image of the subject.  On the other end of the spectrum is my wide angle lens that gives almost a 90 degree angle of view.  All of this equipment is great for each specific situation.

I have been observing a lot of wildlife and have been trying to photograph them with my 70-200mm lens.  What I find is that even with a 2x extender [making the lens a 140-400mm], it is difficult to fill the frame with the subject.  Either I do not want to get that close, or the subject does not want me that close.  This has me thinking that it may be a requirement to eventually add a 400mm lens to my collection.  The other option may be to add a cropped frame camera and continue to use the same lenses [glass] that I already have.  The advantage to this option is that I can get an increased focal length for a somewhat cheaper expense than adding the lens.  Canon cropped frame cameras have a 1.6x increase in focal length to compensate for the difference in full frame glass.  This means that the 70-200mm lens becomes a 112-320mm lens.  Either way, I think another piece of equipment may be in my future.

Along the same lines of another lens comes the issue of multiple subjects for photographing.  Even some landscapes, wildlife and wildflowers are difficult to photograph under natural lighting.  Most of the time natural light works, but there are situations where a flash can give an added pop to make a subject stand out.  Most of the time a flash is used for portrait photography.

Back at the beginning of the month, I was experimenting with portrait photography at Vacation Bible School at church.  I do not currently have a flash.  Some of the events were inside with very poor light.  In order to get decent photos, I was bumping the ISO up which meant post processing to reduce noise.  Some of the events were outside with very bright sun.  It would have been nice to have a flash in both situations.  Inside, I was not able to get a fast shutter speed to stop motion without out introducing noise from a high ISO, or I would have an underexposed image.  Outside, I needed a little bit of fill light to reduce some of the contrast between light and shadow areas.  A flash can be a handy tool to manage light in many situations, and I can see that this may be a piece of equipment I add to my collection [possibly sooner than later].

There are plenty of other pieces of equipment that are on my list.  I am also certain that I may find things that I never thought of that will end up in my collection.  It is just a matter of how much is too much!