New Here...do I have the right camera?
Hi all...I'm pretty new to the world of photography and currently have a Sony DSC-H1. Overall I really like the camera so far, but I'm not sure its the right one for what I want to do...
I take a lot of action shots of horses in competition and have not found the right combination of settings. I really wanted a better SLR camera, however, this was a gift last Christmas...hoping I can get some help here.
I've been using the Multi-Burst Function hoping I could use that as an SLR type of function but am finding that my pictures are fuzzy and the size is small...can't get good close-up shots of the horses using the Multi-Burst Function. I like this burst feature because the pictures can be perfected at the right moment for what the horse is doing, however, its not clear when I print the pics and again because there are 16 pics in a frame, they are small...any ideas on this one?
The 3 successive shots in a row is something I haven't played with too much yet as it is harder to get the pictures at the right time using this feature...
So...I guess I"m wondering if I can get a better telephoto lense for this camera? If so, what should I buy/where do I get it? I'm not finding many telephoto lenses that are Sony DSC-H1 compatible and really don't know what I need to buy. Are there other companies that make lenses compatible with my camera? Also, any suggestions on the multi-burst? Am I using it for the wrong purpose? And if I have a telephoto lense and use Multi burst will that help?
Hope this makes sense...I really appreciate any feedback..Thanks!
I take a lot of action shots of horses in competition and have not found the right combination of settings. I really wanted a better SLR camera, however, this was a gift last Christmas...hoping I can get some help here.
I've been using the Multi-Burst Function hoping I could use that as an SLR type of function but am finding that my pictures are fuzzy and the size is small...can't get good close-up shots of the horses using the Multi-Burst Function. I like this burst feature because the pictures can be perfected at the right moment for what the horse is doing, however, its not clear when I print the pics and again because there are 16 pics in a frame, they are small...any ideas on this one?
The 3 successive shots in a row is something I haven't played with too much yet as it is harder to get the pictures at the right time using this feature...
So...I guess I"m wondering if I can get a better telephoto lense for this camera? If so, what should I buy/where do I get it? I'm not finding many telephoto lenses that are Sony DSC-H1 compatible and really don't know what I need to buy. Are there other companies that make lenses compatible with my camera? Also, any suggestions on the multi-burst? Am I using it for the wrong purpose? And if I have a telephoto lense and use Multi burst will that help?
Hope this makes sense...I really appreciate any feedback..Thanks!
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Comments
Learn about the manual modes. Setting your aperture, shuttter speed and ISO will allow you to get clear shots. Try to keep your shutter speed above 1/250 and you will be able to freeze those moments!
It is a very capable camera.. just learn how to use it and that way you will get the most out of it!
Like Owen said, learn about the manual settings of your camera. You want to keep your shutter speed high - this controls the camera's ability to freeze action. You also want to keep your f-stop (aperture) low - this controls the depth of field (DoF) which means how much of what's in your shot is in focus. A small DoF means that the horse and rider will be in focus (hopefully), but the background will be blurry so it isn't distracting. You might also save yourself valuable milseconds by pre-focusing the on a place where you know the horse will be, then switching into manual focus mode so when the hose goes by and you press the button, the camera fires instantly without trying to focus.
Good luck, and post some shots with settings so we can see and help out more.
Fred.
http://esiggins.smugmug.com
The image stabilized 432mm (35mm FF equivalent), f3.7 is not bad, but you have to get your shutter speed faster, like Owen said.
Boost your ISO to 400 (yes it will be grainy) and set your camera to Aperture Priority and wide open (f 2.8-3.7). Set your camera to one shot mode and highest resolution (5 MP).
Forget about using flash if you are using the long end of the telephoto range. At that range it doesn't add anything to the image and it only slows the camera operation.
That's about as good as it gets with that camera. Plan on processing your images with Neat Image, or other similar software, to eliminate much of the graininess.
http://www.neatimage.com/download.html
[FONT=arial,helvetica]There is a teleconverter rated to work with that camera, the Sony VCL-DH1758. It is 1.7x so would get you to the equivalent of 734mm, but it probably reduces the effective aperture, so I wouldn't recommend it for indoor work. If the long end of the built-in zoom isn't long enough, you need to find a better place to photograph from.
ziggy53
[/FONT]
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Guess I need a good place to go to learn about all this...I went to the bookstore this weekend to find a book and most of the ones I found were not helpful...unfortunately didn't have a lot of time...guess I need the photography for dummies book?:D
If you have time and can give me some lessons, I'd appreciate it ... or if you have a really good place/book with basic info that is easy to understand, that would be great too!
Thanks again.
To get a quick view of what aperture vs shutter speed does for you, play with this site: http://www.photonhead.com/simcam/shutteraperture.php
http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
Ziggy,
Can you imagine trying to handhold a 700mm lens, let alone a 400mm lens:D
I would not dream of handholding anything longer than 400mm and that is with a fast shutter speed.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Xena,
Your camera does not have an ISO 1000. It only goes to ISO 400.
You are giving up way too easily and asking for help again before you even try what I asked you to try. I cannot come there and do this for you, you must do this for yourself.
I found the User Manual here:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-documents.pl?mdl=DSCH1&LOC=3
If you look on page 27 it talks about the "Mode Dial". Set the mode to "Aperture Priority".
Use the Jog Dial (page 26) to select the largest aperture. (f3.7 when the zoom is full telephoto.)
Page 34 shows how to turn off the "Multi-Burst".
Page 36 shows how to access the Menu. Select ISO 400 (page 40).
You may also want to select the "Continuous Auto-Focus" using the procedures on page 51.
After you make all these changes, find some subject, similar to what you would find shooting horses, and see if the situation has improved.
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Fortunately, that camera has Steady-Shot IS, and supposedly a pretty good version at that.
I "have" hand-held my dRebel XT with a manual 500mm lens attached, which is effectively 800mm, and I get around one shot in six with acceptable sharpness using the "rifle" stance (ISO 1600 and daylight), so it can be done. It is certainly not desirable or pleasant; I'll yield to that.:D
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
http://www.aakatz.com/h1whitepaper/
Alan Katz has many amazing images taken with the H1.
To boot he's a very nice guy.
Read his whitepapers, read them again. Take your time and follow along with his instructions and you will be able to get some great shots with your H1.
** Feel free to edit my photos if you see room for improvement.**
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if
no birds sang there except those that sang best.
~Henry Van Dyke
... and if you read nothing else, this is excellent (and contradicts some of my advice
http://www.aakatz.com/h1whitepaper/part14.htm
Thanks Dana! Now that's helpful.
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
When I played with the camera over the weekend I was changing some settings and was changing something up to 1000...still not at work and haven't had time to read through everything. So...I incorrectly thought I was changing the ISO...
I really need some time to look at what you 've asked me to do and re-read everything when I can hopefully absorb it. Right now I'm still at work...
Thank you...I will play with this some more..!
Thanks Ziggy
Keep in mind that this is one person's opinion and experience with using the H1. YMMV He is an excellent photographer and I find his whitepapers down to earth, easy to read and learn from. Even though I did not have an H1, I learned a great deal that I put to use with my Sony F828.
If you are shooting horses in an indoor arena it's going to be tough. Give that Sony plenty of light at an outdoor meet and you can get good crisp action shots.
** Feel free to edit my photos if you see room for improvement.**
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if
no birds sang there except those that sang best.
~Henry Van Dyke
Xena,
My bad. I read the, and thought you were doing to me what my kids have been doing to me the last few days. (Don't ask)
Sorry about that.
The latter Sony "H" series cameras have much better low-light performance, according to the articles linked by Dana (StormDancing), so they have an ISO1000 and much better ISO400.
Is there a particular shot or effect you are trying for, or photographer whose images you admire?
Can you describe in more detail the environment of the shoot? (Indoor/outdoor, time of day, distance from subjects, etc.?)
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Most of my pictures would be on the weekends at horse shows. this weekend I was at the steeplechase races so my subjects were kind of far away at times or really close depending on where they were in the field. I had a hard time finding a good spot to be in because there were so many people and at times I had to go on a hill to shoot...
Typically though most of the pics will be outside at the edge of a ring...again the distances can vary. Mind you, I've been using the multi-burst function almost exclusively because originally when I started using what Sony calls BRK on the camera (3 shots successively), I couldn't get the right timing on my pics for that perfect shot. I still have yet to learn when to click for that shot of a horse jumping a fence for instance. My timing was really off. Therefore, I was hoping the multiburst mode would solve that issue, however, my pictures were small and I had to cut the frame out that I wanted to use...I had not played with any settings originally when using multi-burst until this past weekend. I guess I could try to print the shots I took to see how they ended up - on the computer they seem small and the horses too far away.
I will need to play with the settings and use the BRK function. I can get a much closer picture..it just requires me to work more to get the right shot...and needless to say, I don't have a ton of patience at times because I'm so impatient to get that perfect photo
This weekend I will have the opportunity to take some photos at my farm for our Halloween show so hopefully I can play with it there...
In the meantime, do you know if getting one of the telephoto lenses recommended above (actually I think I read about them briefly in the white papers) would help the multi burst function? What is the intended purpose of the multi burst function if it is not what I'm trying to use it for? Perhaps I'm trying to put it in my editor when I should be editing in some type of video software? Maybe that's my issue?
Time is my enemy right now...I'm working late most nights this week and then trying to ride my horses in the evenings and then I'm down for the count to start over the next day...but...I've got Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Fireworks, another editor that the name escapes me...and I believe I have some video software that came with my camcorder (sony)...perhaps another video software and Director 8....I've got all of it...but again since time is short, I haven't had a chance to play with them all to figure it out.
Should I try my multiburst photos in video software? Thoughts?
Thanks! Again...I'm at work...rushing to a meeting but wanted to write my rambling thoughts down before I forget them. So...just bear with me till I can sit down with all of your Awesome comments and suggestions! Thank you sooo much!
Now we have a much clearer understanding of your situation and desires, photographically speaking.
First, get a new car, or better yet, a chauffer and limousine. This will eliminate those pesky car problems and get you more time to boot!
Second, get a new job. One that pays much more with better hours. Wins all the way around. (OK, you might want to switch these two entries around, your call.)
Now that I have simplified and improved your life and your income, you can concentrate on that which is all important; "Photography"!
It sounds like you appreciate the "super zoom" capabilities of your Sony H1, but find other qualities lacking.
One thing you should understand about that camera is that it has two types of "lag". The first is because the image you see in the electronic viewfinder, as well as the LCD display, is not real-time, like you would see through an optical viewfinder. You would be better off using the camera viewfinder to "frame" the shot, and then looking over the top of the camera to determine when to press the shutter button.
The second form of lag is from the autofocus and other camera preparation before the shutter actually fires. You can eliminate the autofocus delay by prefocusing on something, like the fence the horse is about to jump over, and then holding the shutter half depressed until the horse starts the jump, when you push the shutter release all the way through. To use this technique, set the camera's AF mode to "Monitor" (not "Continuous" like I said earlier).
These two things will greatly improve the overall responsiveness of the camera at the "decisive moment" of exposure.
The "BRK" mode is to "Bracket" exposures, not anything to do with what you want. The "Multi-Burst" mode records a maximum of 1 megapixels resolution, so probably not recommended. I strongly suggest either the "Burst" mode or single shot mode, along with the tips suggested above.
Practice with shooting traffic, trying to get the cars crossing a certain point in the street, to get a handle on the proper timing of the camera. It may take considerable practice to achieve what you want, but if you want it badly enough, it's there for the having.
The 1.7x accessory lens will complicate other issues, so I suggest working with what you have until you master the techniques, and then you can factor in the extra length if the subjects are still too small in the frame.
ziggy53
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
I used to consider myself self-taught, but what that really meant was that I spent 5 years making basic mistakes, missing a lot of great shots and thinking I would eventually get the hang of it. When I finally took an intro photography class, there were a lot of "Ohhhhhhh, THAT's what I'm supposed to do" moments. About 8 years after I first picked up a camera I'm still only scratching the surface.
Good luck,
Fred.
http://esiggins.smugmug.com