A few questions from a beginner

lilmomma · March 12, 2009

I have a list of questions I keep wanting to ask and I keep forgetting to write them all down. so I'll start a thread and ask as I have them.

I recently purchased a Nikon D40 and it came with a kit lens 18-55mm. Lame for some of you, I know...but I came into this literally a month and a half ago with absolutely 0 knowledge of photography or editing...therefore doesn't justify spending more than $500! I'm still very much learning and I have been addicted to this site for 3 weeks now and I have learned SO MUCH! Problem is, i'm planning my wedding (2 weeks away), I have a two year old, it's been cold out, and I have a full time job so I haven't gotten to test out all my new knowledge yet. After the wedding I will though and I will be catching up on the assignments.

So as of right now I have 4 questions:

1. My lens says f/3.5-5.6 on websites that sell them, however I cannot get lower (or higher? can't figure that out yet) than 5.6 when I set the aperture. How do I get it to 3.5? I'm not even sure if that's the same, but I thought f was aperture.

2. When taking pictures of waterfalls or water for a soft look (also in general i've just heard this term) I've read that you need a longer exposure. I'm not quite sure what is meant by that. I assumed longer shutter speed?? But when I use a longer shutter speed the pictures are brighter. How would I use slow speed and not have white pictures, especially outside?

3. My shutter speed only goes 30 seconds. Is that just my camera or is there a way to lenghthen that? i just got done reading through the Crowds assignment where they needed mintues of exposure (see #2, where I assume this means shutter speed)

4. Is there a way on my camera to control the power of the flash?

Thanks in advance, I'm sure i'll be back soon with more!!

Art Scott · March 12, 2009

lilmomma wrote:

I have a list of questions I keep wanting to ask and I keep forgetting to write them all down. so I'll start a thread and ask as I have them.

I recently purchased a Nikon D40 and it came with a kit lens 18-55mm. Lame for some of you, I know...but I came into this literally a month and a half ago with absolutely 0 knowledge of photography or editing...therefore doesn't justify spending more than $500! I'm still very much learning and I have been addicted to this site for 3 weeks now and I have learned SO MUCH! Problem is, i'm planning my wedding (2 weeks away), I have a two year old, it's been cold out, and I have a full time job so I haven't gotten to test out all my new knowledge yet. After the wedding I will though and I will be catching up on the assignments.

So as of right now I have 4 questions:

1. My lens says f/3.5-5.6 on websites that sell them, however I cannot get lower (or higher? can't figure that out yet) than 5.6 when I set the aperture. How do I get it to 3.5?
3.5 is achieved at the 18mm side of the lens.....as the lens is zoomed from 18 to 55mm it will automatically change the aperture from 3.5 to 5.6......unless you are shooting in manual, aperture priority or shutter priority and the aperture was set higher than 3.5........so set your camera to program and zoom back to 18 then while lookikng into view finderand watching the aperture see when it leaves 3.5 and turns to 5.6............then go to manual and see what it is set at and reset to 3.5.....do the same for aperture priority and shutter priority......

I'm not even sure if that's the same, but I thought f was aperture.
YES ....... F=aperture

2. When taking pictures of waterfalls or water for a soft look (also in general i've just heard this term) I've read that you need a longer exposure. I'm not quite sure what is meant by that. I assumed longer shutter speed?? But when I use a longer shutter speed the pictures are brighter. How would I use slow speed and not have white pictures, especially outside?
without getting real technical.....put you camera in aperture priority and pick a small aperture (larger number) I suggest starting at 5.6 and see how that does........basically you want small apertures and low shutter speed to get that soft look (Hopefully I understood correctly your wanting to achieve a soft FOAMY look and not the crisp see thru the water look)......................

3. My shutter speed only goes 30 seconds. Is that just my camera or is there a way to lenghthen that?
If you have a bulb setting and a remote shutter release then as long as you hold the remote release button down it keeps the shutter open............

i just got done reading through the Crowds assignment where they needed mintues of exposure (see #2, where I assume this means shutter speed)

4. Is there a way on my camera to control the power of the flash?
that will be on your flash.....should show increments of full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 under the manual setting.....other wise all flash out put is controlled thru the computer of the camera talking to the flash.

Thanks in advance, I'm sure i'll be back soon with more!!

answers above in bold.......................

lilmomma · March 13, 2009

Thanks for the response! I got my camera out and saw that it went to 3.5 when I brought it to 18mm. I didn't notice that before. I'm a little more confused now than I was before though, as far as the aperture and shutter speed. I was just messing around with it and it seems when I put it on the highest aperture I get the same results as with a really fast shutter speed. It clicked really fast and gave me a black picture. I mean I understand the concept of the depth of field and when it's at the lowest setting, it gives depth, but what is the point of the highest setting? I guess I'm confused and maybe need a little more explanation on shutter speed and aperture. They seem to both have the same concept of letting more or less light in. Also, I have always wondered about what would constitute a need for a high ISO setting? Again, I understand the concept of light sensitivity and it helps reduce blur, but every picture I've ever taken with high ISO always looks grainy and crappy, I can't imagine using that for anything i'd want to print.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Candid Arts · March 13, 2009

lilmomma wrote:

Thanks for the response! I got my camera out and saw that it went to 3.5 when I brought it to 18mm. I didn't notice that before. I'm a little more confused now than I was before though, as far as the aperture and shutter speed. I was just messing around with it and it seems when I put it on the highest aperture I get the same results as with a really fast shutter speed. It clicked really fast and gave me a black picture. I mean I understand the concept of the depth of field and when it's at the lowest setting, it gives depth, but what is the point of the highest setting? I guess I'm confused and maybe need a little more explanation on shutter speed and aperture. They seem to both have the same concept of letting more or less light in. Also, I have always wondered about what would constitute a need for a high ISO setting? Again, I understand the concept of light sensitivity and it helps reduce blur, but every picture I've ever taken with high ISO always looks grainy and crappy, I can't imagine using that for anything i'd want to print. Thanks in advance for the help!

If you are on manual and you set your aperture to as high as it will go (maybe like f/22?) and keep your shutter speed the same, you are allowing a lot less light in, hence the black picture. When you're on manual, you really need to pay attention to your exposure meter. That is the little bar on the bottom of your view finder that goes from -2 to +2 in 1/3 stop increments. As you make the aperture smaller, you need to make the shutter speed longer in order to feed the sensor more light. Aperture, when it is a small number, makes the lens open up wider, which gives you a shallow depth of field (DOF). When at a high number, the lens doesn't open up as much, which gives you a wide DOF.

Ok...I'll just go full out for this one.

The aperture is also a big part of the quality and usability of the lens. Aperture is the f/# (f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, etc…) The lower the number the wider (larger) the aperture opens, which gives you more light, and a shallower depth of field (DOF). In tern, the larger the number (f/11, f/16, f/32) the smaller the aperture opens, which gives you less light, and a wider DOF. Lower aperture lenses (f/2.8 or smaller, they can get down to f/1.2) are considered “fast” lenses and are more expensive, but give you more options for shooting and usually better quality images. A lens however (if it’s widest aperture is f/2.8) is sharpest at usually +1-2 stops past it’s widest aperture. EX: if a lenses widest aperture is f/2.8, +2 stops would give you a f/5.6 (where as f/4 is +1 stop, and f/2 is -1 stop).

ISO is a term used in FILM but has transfered over to digital photography. ISO (International Standarization Organization) is a term that describes the “speed” of the film, in reference to it’s sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO (800, 1600, 3200) the more sensitive the film (or sensor in the case of digital). By using a higher ISO though, the film has larger, less fine, grain. You can see this digital artifact in digital photography by the term “noise”. When you bump up your ISO in digital photography, it makes the sensor more light sensitive (which means you can use faster shutter speeds in lower light condition when your lens won’t allow you to open the aperture any wider), but at the result of adding noise to the photo (which can be fixed in noise reduction programs to a certain extent).

The reference term “stop” is just that, a reference term. In the given line of apertures (f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32) starting at any select one, going down or up to the next one is considered one stop. If you go two up or two down, that is considered two stops. (EX: If you start at f/11 and switch to f/8, you are opening up the aperture and doubling the amount of light, therefore gaining +1 stop). Each stop is referencing the doubling or halving the amount of light.

Now at the same point, a stop can be in reference to Shutter Speed and ISO as well. Where as in Shutter Speed (1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, Bulb) as the denominator (bottom number) get’s lower, more light is let in (and vice versa for getting higher, which is doubling or halving the amount of light). So going from a 1/60th to a 1/30th you are doubling the amount of light coming in and therefore adding +1 stop. I say it’s a reference point because if you start at 1/500 and go to 1/250, it is still +1 stop (does that make sense). It doesn’t matter where you start, +1 stop is doubling the amount of light and -1 stop is halving the amount of light, from any reference point.

ISO (50, 100, 200, 400, 800, etc…) can be termed in stops as well. Where as going from 100 to 200 is doubling the film (or sensor) sesitivity to light, thus you gain +1 stop. The same goes for ISO though, that it’s just a reference, so going from 400 to 800 is also considered +1 stop, and vice versa.

Hope all that helped. If you need any clarifcation, just let me know.

Art Scott · March 13, 2009

lilmomma wrote:

I mean I understand the concept of the depth of field and when it's at the lowest setting, it gives depth, but what is the point of the highest setting?
When you need really fast shutter speed you go to the small numbers (large aperture), a lot of times it is a trade off as to which your gonna get......great DOF or fast shutter speed to catch that speeding bullet.................

I guess I'm confused and maybe need a little more explanation on shutter speed and aperture. They seem to both have the same concept of letting more or less light in.

Also, I have always wondered about what would constitute a need for a high ISO setting?
high iso is used when low iso is not gonna work.....dimly lit situations where a flash is not permitted (wedding ceremonies, concerts and the such).....so one raises the ISO to get a good exposure........

Again, I understand the concept of light sensitivity and it helps reduce blur, but every picture I've ever taken with high ISO always looks grainy
A lot of photos do not work with high iso because they do look crappy full of grain.......how ever a b/w of a music performer cover in sweat on stage just might be a commerical success for the photog who shot it.......some landscapes even in color look fantastic full of grain......now if the subject is so full of noise that it is unrecongnisable then it probably is waaaaaaay to much noise (grain)......so one must learn what work on ones camera and what does not.

and crappy, I can't imagine using that for anything i'd want to print.
There will come a time that if your persue this adventure into the realms of shooting portraits or modeling portfolios or entertainers headshots that the grain will try to creep in on your thoughts as your brain is talking you thru the shoot...lite here, turn this way that way...damn that looks like a 1920's expression there cahnge to a hi iso quickly and grab a couple to work with.....and so it happens andso it goes ......we succumbe to our imagination andall of a sudden you realize you were in the TWILIGHT ZONE because you never studied any portraiture from the 1920's.......ever.:D

Thanks in advance for the help!

answers in BOLD above

djmfaith · March 13, 2009

Thank you
I didn't start this thread, but thank you so much for the information, because I too am a newbie, with the D40 and am always looking for ways to learn more about my camera and what it can do on the A, P or manual modes.
So far, I have only used auto, because I can't seem to understand aperture, and shutter, etc. Starting to understand what they do, just having a hard time, getting them to work together.
I am more afraid at certain times of losing the shot (example, grandkids who more fast), then taking the time at that moment to figure out the camera settings.
I just found this forum yesterday, and so glad I did.
Lots to learn.

Thank you

lilmomma · March 13, 2009

thanks! you guys rock...I will play around some more to see what I can do with it. So basically an under/overexposed picture can be either the aperture OR the shutter speed not being set correctly, if I understand right. Ok..well when I think of more questions I'll be back!

TGLPhotography · March 13, 2009

It's all about controlling the light
All the settings (exposure value, f-stop, ISO, shutter speed) are related..and controllable in manual mode.

For shooting in manual mode:
1. You need to know the base settings to work from for any given lighting condition.
2. Under any given lighting conditions, if you bump one setting up or down a stop or two, you need to counter it by changing one or more of the other settings down or up the same amount. There's not just one possible setting for any given stop change because you can control all the settings individually. Change one and you have any combination of the other three that you can alter to counter that. In otherwords, there are multiple settings that can give the same base picture with the same base exposure..each variation has it's advantages and disadvantages depending on what you're trying to accomplish.
3. Once you have #1 and #2 down, you can start experimenting and getting creative..and just as importantly, control that creativity.

I know where you're coming from. I've been using with a point and shoot for years. I got use to having to find the light for the camera. I got rather good at it however I missed so many great shots because the light was controlling me and there was nothing I could do about it. My photography was being held back by the limitations of the camera. When I got my Canon XTI and started on the journey I'm currently on, I was suddenly in control of the light...once I figured out how to control it.

Here you go, this will get you a long way:

Baseline exposures, aka Sunny 16 rule:
http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/3762805

Understanding exposure control:
http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

After that, it's refining knowledge and getting experience.

lilmomma · March 13, 2009

Yeah I'm pretty excited to learn something new and get into something that I never imagined i'd do! What's funny is even though it's only been a month and a half I don't think I could ever be satisfied with a point and shoot again. Of course I wasn't happy with them to begin with, I used to get so annoyed trying to take pictures of my daughter when there would be a cute shot...it would take forever for the picture to take that I would miss the moment, even if I did get it she'd be blown out by the flash. I have more great pictures of her from the last few weeks than I do of the last two and a half years.

So I came back because I have another question. I am going to be buying a Nikor 55-200mm from a friend for $150. He only used it for a few months before he bought an 18-200mm. In the meantime, I was browsing on craigslist and I found a Nikor 70-200mm, and the guy was selling it for like $1600, and said it retailed for around $2100. Why the drastic price difference? Both have VR. Logically it seems i'd rather have a 55-200mm over the 70-200mm. I bet theres a good reason, I just can't figure it out.

Also, what is a graycard and how is it used?

Candid Arts · March 13, 2009

lilmomma wrote:

So I came back because I have another question. I am going to be buying a Nikor 55-200mm from a friend for $150. He only used it for a few months before he bought an 18-200mm. In the meantime, I was browsing on craigslist and I found a Nikor 70-200mm, and the guy was selling it for like $1600, and said it retailed for around $2100. Why the drastic price difference? Both have VR. Logically it seems i'd rather have a 55-200mm over the 70-200mm. I bet theres a good reason, I just can't figure it out.

Ok, so with the 55-200, yes you are able to get a little wider shots (55mm vs 70mm), but it has a variable aperture. Meaning the aperture will change as you zoom in and out with the lens. As you've realized with your 18-55. The problem with this is that you. Can't ever have a co stand aperture or shutterspeed if you are using the manual modes and zooming in and out all the time. Plus, the lens at it's widest is only going to be like a 4.5. With the 70-200, it has a constant f/2.8. Which will allow you faster shutter speeds in lower light situations with out bumping your ISO, or using a flash. Doesn't matter at what zoom you are at, 70 - 200, the aperture will stay constant, very desirable. Along with this you are getting a better auto focus system, generally faster and quieter, better quality glass, which means better quality pictures, and better build construction. It's is so much more expensive (not $2100 new btw, more like $1700, but they hold their value like nothing else) because there is a lot more glass inside the lens to be able to open up to a f/2.8, and well as make it possible to stay at the f/2.8 no matter the focal length(70mm-200mm).

On top of that there is markup. Because this lens is so much nicer and built so much better, it's more desireable. Which means they can charge more.

The 55-200 is an amerture level lens, where as the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR (and all those other confusing letter nikon puts on their lenses) is a pro level lens.

Hope that helped.

A few questions from a beginner

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