Official Digi Cam Pic Thread!

[lviz]

That's true. Most animals hide from humans, so getting good pics is very difficult. I mostly shoot landscapes because it's so much easier.

[Lazy8s]

We visited Plymouth and Hull MA today. I'm seeing limitations of the cheaper lenses I bought, and have to climb dat Aftershot 3 learning curve, but still got some worthwhile photos. Chalk that up to the equipment, not the photographer.

[dodger]

Lighthouse one is the best, you sorta got that boat lined up as well. Definitely something you can zoom and crop to make better. Might have to lose the shed at the extreme left side.

I'm not a photoshop person, might be a way to make the birds stand out more.

Keep having fun, don't let your equipment situation let you down. I don't take enough pictures to ever justify buying a DSLR but that doesn't stop me if something good comes up. Unfortunately my point and shoot died and am stuck with just my phone.

[Quickstrike]

Enjoying all your shots, Lazy8s!
Sure learning quickly.

Inspires me to pick up a semi-decent digital camera.

[lviz]

Good shots. The bird one is a bit overexposed to my liking; I'd likely rather lost some detail on the blacks than burn the grasses on the foreground. It seems to have been shot in very harsh light, which is always difficult. Best light is often available in mornings and evenings, midday sun is often too bright.

Taking pictures of large water bodies is tricky. You've gotten the exposures well on those, and especially the light house pick has good composition in addition to light. Straighten the horizon in that, and it's a very nice pic then. It's not very many degrees off, but enough to be noticed.

[Mahjik]

Originally Posted by Lazy8s

We visited Plymouth and Hull MA today. I'm seeing limitations of the cheaper lenses I bought, and have to climb dat Aftershot 3 learning curve, but still got some worthwhile photos. Chalk that up to the equipment, not the photographer.

Typically I tell people that they can do better with a great lense and a not-so-great body, than with a not-so-great lense and a great body. Obviously having both being great is ideal.

I would look to do something like a 28-75mm with at least a f/2.8. That would be a good walk around lens that will give you really good clarity. Above are some photos I shot with my crappy Minolta body and a decent lens. They aren't stellar, but they aren't too bad but you can see the distance detail provided (look at the roof on the Disney castle).

[Lazy8s]

Great feedback guys!

@Mahjik - I see your point. The difference in detail between your shots and mine is jarring to say the least, even given the different subject matter. Time to go shopping again.

@lviz - I didn't even notice the horizon until you mentioned it

The birds were shot in the wild though, and mama bird only gave me a couple of minutes to fumble around before hurrying the kids out of there lol. I should have just set it to auto and had at it, but either way it was a great feeling getting that close to a large turkey without being attacked.

Quickstrike and dodger - thanks gents - hopefully I'll have better to post as I learn more, and get that lucky shot or two on occasion.

All of you gents tips are noted and used btw - cheers!

[Lazy8s]

A few more from the mess of photos I took. I'm aware saturation and others are off a bit. I'm still trying to wrap my head around Aftershot. I'm not even sure I really needed it, but I wanted to learn a more full featured editor...

[dodger]

Nice composition on the row of lights Mahjik, the lighting look challenging. People give me odd looks when I go about shooting stuff like that, wondering what could be so interesting about furniture and what a horrible angle to shoot the painting. Only photographers seem to get it.

Lazy, the bee pic is sooo saturated. I'd wonder if turning it black and white to bring out the details is worth more than the colorful. Or maybe someone with more Photoshop skills can suggest better.

[Lazy8s]

Originally Posted by dodger

Nice composition on the row of lights Mahjik, the lighting look challenging. People give me odd looks when I go about shooting stuff like that, wondering what could be so interesting about furniture and what a horrible angle to shoot the painting. Only photographers seem to get it.

Lazy, the bee pic is sooo saturated. I'd wonder if turning it black and white to bring out the details is worth more than the colorful. Or maybe someone with more Photoshop skills can suggest better.

Yeah I yanked that pic - even playing with it in one of the "Do everything automagically" editors leaves it rough looking.

[lviz]

I'd like to see some unedited pictures to see whether some things in the pics come from the lens or from the editor. There's something a bit fuzzy in the focus, and there's chromatic aberration in some of them.

I'm travelling, and don't have my archieves with me. The light was harsh, but I went to shoot some random pics just so that you'd get an idea what a much poorer Nikon D3100 does outdoors;

with Nikkor f/1.8 35 mm lens:



with Nikon 18-55mm kit lens:


with Nikon 55-200 mm kit lens at full length:

[Lazy8s]

I'll post some unedited pics up tonight lviz - I'm pretty sure it's a combination of the editor and what the image looks like to me on the pc screen I'm editing on. Great screens for gaming and browsing, but photo editing...I know the colors are badly skewed...

[Mahjik]

Originally Posted by dodger

Nice composition on the row of lights Mahjik, the lighting look challenging. People give me odd looks when I go about shooting stuff like that, wondering what could be so interesting about furniture and what a horrible angle to shoot the painting. Only photographers seem to get it.

Thank you.

I will be perfectly honest and say I was goofing around while my wife and daughter were using the restrooms. The walkway to the left just after the first table is where the restrooms were at the Disney resort. Most of my best shots come from not trying so hard.

[Lazy8s]

Originally Posted by lviz

I'd like to see some unedited pictures to see whether some things in the pics come from the lens or from the editor. There's something a bit fuzzy in the focus, and there's chromatic aberration in some of them.

Ok, here are some JPEGS straight of the memory card. I didn't write any zoom or other info down, but I believe these were all with the Sigma 70-300mm.

[KAC]

Some nice shite in this thread.

[lviz]

Lazy, looking at those, the lens looks like it's fine. The editing has resulted in what looks like chromatic aberration in some of the pics. Look at e.g. the lighthouse pic. Zoom into the small building in the left side. The colors in its roof (especially the shaded part) are slightly messed up in the edited pic, but are as they should in the original one. The same might be true for the pidgeon pic as well.

You don't need to write any info about the pics down. It's all stored by the camera for you in the EXIF data unless there's an option in D7200 to turn that off, and you've done so. You can see it all in Windows file explorer in the properties of each pic. There's focal length, ISO, shutter speed, aperture and so on.

I'd suggest doing less editing initially, and focus on the process of shooting with your camera. Let the automatics do their magic at first, and learn to choose focus points and AF focus modes according to the subject. In some of the pics it's a bit hard to see where the camera has focused. Focus points in water are tricky unless shutter speed is high, because water moves and all of the pic will end up being a bit soft. The same applies in focusing to all moving subjects.

The automatics do not help, though, if you need to shoot into bright daylight like in the first of those latest shots. Then you need to learn HDR shooting to avoid burning the sky, or having a too dark pic. I can't do that, but I think there are folks here who can give guidance.

Then, considering what you've said you want to shoot, focus on other things like aperture priority, which the lens you have seems to do fine in the bee pic.

[Mahjik]

I'm going the opposite... I think the lens is missing a lot of dynamic range and detail. I think it's great for starting out, but you'll likely want to use it for more closer photos rather than landscape photos. I don't think you need to run out and buy a new lens today, but I would definitely start shopping to see what you want to budget.

[Lazy8s]

Originally Posted by lviz

Lazy, looking at those, the lens looks like it's fine. The editing has resulted in what looks like chromatic aberration in some of the pics. Look at e.g. the lighthouse pic. Zoom into the small building in the left side. The colors in its roof (especially the shaded part) are slightly messed up in the edited pic, but are as they should in the original one. The same might be true for the pidgeon pic as well.

You have a much finer eye for detail than I do - that said I'm definitely mucking my photos up with the editor while learning how to use it and I think at this point, most of the issue is me learning what needs to be touched up and what I ought to just leave alone, much less how to do it properly.

You don't need to write any info about the pics down. It's all stored by the camera for you in the EXIF data unless there's an option in D7200 to turn that off, and you've done so. You can see it all in Windows file explorer in the properties of each pic. There's focal length, ISO, shutter speed, aperture and so on.

thanks

I'd suggest doing less editing initially, and focus on the process of shooting with your camera. Let the automatics do their magic at first, and learn to choose focus points and AF focus modes according to the subject. In some of the pics it's a bit hard to see where the camera has focused. Focus points in water are tricky unless shutter speed is high, because water moves and all of the pic will end up being a bit soft. The same applies in focusing to all moving subjects.

That's exactly what was happening here, good call. I had switched from AFS-S to -C jst before that group of photos while trying get some birds and fast boats and never switched it back. I remember spending lots of time moving the focal point/refocusing just to get used to being able to do that on the fly.

The automatics do not help, though, if you need to shoot into bright daylight like in the first of those latest shots. Then you need to learn HDR shooting to avoid burning the sky, or having a too dark pic. I can't do that, but I think there are folks here who can give guidance.

Then, considering what you've said you want to shoot, focus on other things like aperture priority, which the lens you have seems to do fine in the bee pic.

I was wondering why that first pic went dark on me...

I appreciate the feedback lviz - more to be aware of while shooting.

[Lazy8s]

Originally Posted by Mahjik

I'm going the opposite... I think the lens is missing a lot of dynamic range and detail. I think it's great for starting out, but you'll likely want to use it for more closer photos rather than landscape photos. I don't think you need to run out and buy a new lens today, but I would definitely start shopping to see what you want to budget.

Already shopping based on the feedback you gave me above.

like a 28-75mm with at least a f/2.8

It's going to have to be a good used deal though. Anything in that range starts getting pricier than I want to spend at the moment. Keeping my eyes peeled for that special deal or two though.

[lviz]

When you get your first large aperture lens, it'll give you plenty more opportunities. Get as high aperture as your wallet allows. That said, I'd say don't rush to buy plenty of lenses. Use what you have to learn, and you'll then be able to make educated choices regarding focal lengths you need or prefer.

These days I mostly shoot with the fixed 35 mm lens I have, and will likely get something decent in the 18-50 mm range to replace the Nikon kit lens. I will need a new body sometime soon, too. I'm outgrowing the cheap Nikon I have.

[Lazy8s]

Originally Posted by lviz

When you get your first large aperture lens, it'll give you plenty more opportunities. Get as high aperture as your wallet allows. That said, I'd say don't rush to buy plenty of lenses. Use what you have to learn, and you'll then be able to make educated choices regarding focal lengths you need or prefer.

These days I mostly shoot with the fixed 35 mm lens I have, and will likely get something decent in the 18-50 mm range to replace the Nikon kit lens. I will need a new body sometime soon, too. I'm outgrowing the cheap Nikon I have.

This is my other lenses, that I haven't used much yet. I think on my next outing I'm going to use this one exclusively just to see what it's capable of. I'm hoping to limit myself to only 3, unless I win a lottery or something lol...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[lviz]

Originally Posted by Lazy8s

This is my other lenses, that I haven't used much yet. I think on my next outing I'm going to use this one exclusively just to see what it's capable of. I'm hoping to limit myself to only 3, unless I win a lottery or something lol...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That's pretty much equal to my 35 mm as far as I can tell. It should be very capable.

[Lazy8s]

Originally Posted by lviz

That's pretty much equal to my 35 mm as far as I can tell. It should be very capable.

It seems like it ought to be if I can figure it out Any thing other than f/22 and I cannot snap a photo, any mode and/or AF enabled or not. Some reading up is in order, but here are some quick samples I just took.

Oh, regarding the exif data you mentioned earlier - that's something that may be affected by other settings maybe? I never intentionally set it to off, so I have to research that too.

edit:Swapped dog pic for a better one.

[lviz]

That's weird. I've not had problems like that.

Exif data, just right click on an image file in file explorer, and under properties:



Your imgur files show only blank there. In my Google files the data should be present. Maybe a setting in the camera is off, or if you use a file transfer application, it might remove the data? Imgur might also do that.

[Lazy8s]

Originally Posted by lviz

That's weird. I've not had problems like that.

Exif data, just right click on an image file in file explorer, and under properties:



Your imgur files show only blank there. In my Google files the data should be present. Maybe a setting in the camera is off, or if you use a file transfer application, it might remove the data? Imgur might also do that.

Yep bingo - it's imgur.

https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips...photos_before/

I'll read up on that lens more later, but a quick search says it's normal?? LoL....I absolutely need to read up more on that to make sure I didn't get a busted lens...

edit: On that lens...

https://photo.stackexchange.com/ques...e-an-fee-error

Lenses with the aperture ring were originally designed for older SLR's which did not control aperture via the camera body.

Newer SLRs and DSLR control aperture via the body, so these older lenses must be stopped all the way down in order to be used. Your lens is working as it should, and is not defective.

To select aperture using your camera, ensure the aperture ring is set at 22 and shoot in either aperture (A) priority or manual and use the command dial and LCD screen to select the aperture you desire.

I think I'll be using this a lot now that I know how to use it. Here's Ken Rockwells review of it.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/5018daf.htm

[lviz]

Does imgur also do the image scaling for you, or do you do it yourself before uploading?

[Lazy8s]

Imgur does it.

edit: I may do it and see if that helps IQ at all.

[DigitalDemon]

Uh, pictures shown in rapid succession, with vibrations coming out of the round bits of the puter.

First real flight out of my phantom 3, something is wrong with the video transmission wifi, so my distance is limited by line of sight after about 300m. Not bad for a solid 25mph wind though.

[logical]

Not bad on my phone it looks low res got to check it out on my desktop.

I wish I lived in an open area like that.

Edit: it cleared up looks nice.

[DigitalDemon]

The sensor isn't half bad, but the aperture is locked to 2.8 so you really have to be careful about your shots and keeping exposure consistent. It's not 4k, but the 2.7k gives a little bit of wiggle room for additional stabilization and horizon correction. Has me itching for a mavic pro though, as hauling a huge case to the beach is not very fun.