some things never explained to me:
things i never knew, and still dont:
(1) on a p & s camera ( lets say a sony 717 / 828 / h1 ) when your in aperature mode how do you know while your shooting what focal length your using?
(2) does using a filter ( lets say a UV 0 ) actually diminish the quality in any way on an expensive lens?
(3) if your using a prime lens ( lets say 200 mm - no i dont have it ) is there any one specific distance you should be from your subject for proper exposure?
(4) how important is it to change the "metering" ( spot / center / multi ) settings when taking a picture? Ive never even given it a thought...
someone has gotta ask the stupid things......
troy
(1) on a p & s camera ( lets say a sony 717 / 828 / h1 ) when your in aperature mode how do you know while your shooting what focal length your using?
(2) does using a filter ( lets say a UV 0 ) actually diminish the quality in any way on an expensive lens?
(3) if your using a prime lens ( lets say 200 mm - no i dont have it ) is there any one specific distance you should be from your subject for proper exposure?
(4) how important is it to change the "metering" ( spot / center / multi ) settings when taking a picture? Ive never even given it a thought...
someone has gotta ask the stupid things......
troy
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On the Sonys you have that little bar on the display that moves as you zoom. No numbers - but then I don't have any idea what it is on my 350d with my lenses either until I look at exif.
It shouldn't, but can cause lens flare with reflections between the lens and the filter.
No.
I think this would depend on the situation.
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(1) Some cameras such as the Sony F828 have advanced display options that may show the focal length (and other data such as exposure) in the viewfinder and/or LCD and/or a separate small LCD display on the camera. Of course SOME users don't consider that the F828 is P&S. Some cameras have focal lengths marked on the lens barrel. But many P&S cameras simply do not reveal this information - it's one factor that makes the "P&S".
(2) A cheap filter may indeed diminish the quality of an image. I assume by "diminish" you don't mean "just doing its job", as most filters reduce the light that reaches the sensor requiring a wider aperture or longer exposure, so this shouldn't be considered "diminishing the quality". However, filters certainly can add unintended distortion and unintended colour changes; even expensive filters may have some negative effect, but cheap filters are much more likely to do so.
(3) "Exposure", no. Perspective distortion may be more apparent with very close subjects and this is more obvious with some lenses than others. Camera shake and atmospheric distortion will be more noticeable with distant subjects. But these are not "exposure" effects.
(4) It depends on the subject, the lighting, and the photographer's intentions. Often it makes little or no difference, but at other times an inappropriate metering mode will result in over- or under-exposed pictures. Each metering mode on a given camera has advantages in some circumstances and disadvantages in others. If you consistently take a particular type of picture (subject, lighting, etc.) you might never need to change your metering mode. Your camera's user guide should contain some very brief guidelines about the use of each metering mode; many books and websites have more detailed information.
I don't have the chart for the 717, only the 707, but you basically take a picture at each change in the zoom indicator and note the focal length reported in the EXIF. That chart will let you know where you are.
Zoom until the indicator just moves to the new position. At that position, the focal length will be very close to the following chart:
38mm - 43mm - 50mm - 59mm - 70mm - 86mm - 110mm - 137mm - 172mm - 190mm
Now you will notice there are more numbers than there are zoom positions on the 707 LCD indicator. If you zoom until the the indicator just moves to the last position, you will not be fully zoomed out. You can continue to drive the zoom to the full 190mm but the indicator will not move.
(2) does using a filter ( lets say a UV 0 ) actually diminish the quality in any way on an expensive lens?
It can. I only use a filter if needed and never keep it on just for "protection". That is what lens caps are for in my opinion. If you need a filter for something, use it, but then take it off when that need has passed.
(3) if your using a prime lens ( lets say 200 mm - no i dont have it ) is there any one specific distance you should be from your subject for proper exposure?
Focal length and exposure usually don't have anything to do with one another other than with say a zoom lens that has a variable aperture with focal length. But on a prime lens this does not apply. Stand where you want in order to get the framing and composition you desire, don't worry about anything else.
(4) how important is it to change the "metering" ( spot / center / multi ) settings when taking a picture? Ive never even given it a thought...
Unless you are actively changing the exposure (manually or via EV compensation) based on what the meter is telling you, it does not really matter if you change the settings or not.
Look at it this way. Say you have a vacuum cleaner (VC) with three settings, carpet, wood, and a hose attachment. Now you take this VC and start pushing it around and never change the settings. You will get the floor clean. What if you switch to the hose attachment but continue to push the VC around normally? Nothing beneficial is going to happen. Why, because you are not using the hose to clean the small spots the VC can reach normally. You would have to stop using the VC normally, and grab the hose and use it to get to the small spot behind the piano.
With a camera and metering it is much the same. It makes no sense to put the metering in spot mode if you are not prepared to point it at a specific subject (middle gray) or willing to change the exposure in response to what the spot meter is looking at (e.g. point at a white tshirt and then change the exposure so that the meter reads +2EV).
So if you want the camera to do all the work in exposure, set the meter to matrix, multi, or whatever the camera calls it's mode that has multiple sensors, and forget it.
If instead you are willing to change the exposure in response to what the meter is telling you, then the different metering settings may be beneficial.
Using the zone system as it applies to exposure is a great way to put the spot meter to maximum use. If you are interested in how powerful the spot meter can be, do research on the zone system as it applies to exposure, and you will be miles ahead
"Failure is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions." - fortune cookie
Edit: The G3 and many other P&S's I've seen have those indicator bars showing the amount of 'zoom' used.. But I've rarely (never?!) seen one that shows the actual focal length in mm. 'Quality' is a subjective thing now, isn't it.. One day a co-worker, who is a bigtime image quality & sharpness nerd, borrowed my 35/2 w/ UV 'protector' filter mounted. He took a series of shots and basically proved that there was a reduction in sharpness w/ the filter mounted. I could see it, right there on the screen, there was a notable difference. ... Of course he did everything he could to generate the problem, like shooting into the sun and shooting rather complex patterns (siding on a house) that any lens/camera might have trouble w/. He purposely tried to prove his point.. and did.
That said, I'll still use a high-quality UV filter on my 70-200/4 L, regardless of any small impact on image quality. Why? Because I simply cannot afford to risk damage to that lens. It is easily the most expensive peice of photo equipment I own. In that instance, the loss in image quality is worth the sense of security the UV gives me.
Usually, it isn't important, but if I can tell the lighting's difficult, I'll switch to spot. Here's how I shoot with my P&S. If the LCD looks way off (and I mean obviously), I know that the metering isn't looking at the scene the same way I am. Typically this is when the subject is backlit or in a similar high-contrast situation. I'll switch to spot, and meter off of what I want to look "normal." That solves some problems. But on the whole, camera metering has gotten quite good, and I usually get into more trouble if I try to second-guess it.