New Camera.. New Pics...

Joined
May 21, 2007
Messages
198
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
15" Macbook Pro, 2.16gz, 2gb RAM || 20" iMac, 2.4gz, 2gb RAM
Hey all,
Just got a Canon 400D and ive been out and about taking pics all day. Tell me what you think?

tiger_face.jpg



monkey_bw.jpg



finley_bw_blue_eyes.jpg


Thanks,
Lewwy.
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2006
Messages
1,063
Reaction score
69
Points
48
Location
London, UK
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Air | iPad | iPhone | iPod Classic | iPod Shuffle | no more money
Well they look pretty good to me.

I don't know a massive amount about cameras - something I'd like to get into to be honest - a digital SLR would find a good caring home with me :)

Was the lens used a 'standard' one that comes with the camera at purchase?
 
OP
Lewwy
Joined
May 21, 2007
Messages
198
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
15" Macbook Pro, 2.16gz, 2gb RAM || 20" iMac, 2.4gz, 2gb RAM
It was indeed a Standard lens.. However I wish I had a different one, Really good zoom would have been absolutely great as I was at a Zoo today and sometimes the animals wouldnt come as close as you would have liked them to..

Especially the White Tiger :(
 
OP
Lewwy
Joined
May 21, 2007
Messages
198
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
15" Macbook Pro, 2.16gz, 2gb RAM || 20" iMac, 2.4gz, 2gb RAM
Thanks man :D
Had a lot of fun with the Camera today, I got a few more good ones ill post up in a sec if your interested :) .

Edit :

elephant.jpg


orangutang_sepia.jpg


Thanks for looking :D
 
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Messages
102
Reaction score
3
Points
18
stunning color for a canon ( hahah sorry ) the middle one creeps me out lol

got a decent dof and brokeh on the very top one! quite a zoom for a kit lense what is it?
 
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Messages
4,934
Reaction score
207
Points
63
Location
Anytown, USA
Your Mac's Specs
27" iMac 2.7GHz Core i5, iPhone 6, iPad Air 2, 4th gen Apple TV
If that's with a 17-55 kit lens, you must be able to get really close to the animals at your zoo!!
 
OP
Lewwy
Joined
May 21, 2007
Messages
198
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
15" Macbook Pro, 2.16gz, 2gb RAM || 20" iMac, 2.4gz, 2gb RAM
18 - 55mm Foz.

Recently picked up the Camera for £409 with a £50 cashback offer.. So far ive actually only used Auto modes like a newbie.. Done a few manual focus *****.. But I really need to learn about all the priority settings on the dial.. If anyone has information on the letters around a Canon dial id be happy to read.

Fleurya,
I was pretty close to the animals, the Baby Monkey, Tiger and Orangutang were all behind glass, but the camera seems to have ignored it which is nice.. The Kitten with the blue eyes is my girlfriends pet, and the elephant was photographes during feeding time :)
 
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Messages
102
Reaction score
3
Points
18
i can not stress enough understanding exposures as a good read, it helped me no end, get it out of auto and spend a day at the zoo, changing lights, moving animls different enclosures makes so much difference! take 2 memory cards shoot jpeg what dont work, dont work, dont go to get perfect shots go to get practice in, i did 600 shots ( plus raw i shoudlnt have cause it took long to edit) and i learnt so much about w.b and how slow i could get the shutter speed down and hold still!
 
OP
Lewwy
Joined
May 21, 2007
Messages
198
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
15" Macbook Pro, 2.16gz, 2gb RAM || 20" iMac, 2.4gz, 2gb RAM
i can not stress enough understanding exposures as a good read, it helped me no end, get it out of auto and spend a day at the zoo, changing lights, moving animls different enclosures makes so much difference! take 2 memory cards shoot jpeg what dont work, dont work, dont go to get perfect shots go to get practice in, i did 600 shots ( plus raw i shoudlnt have cause it took long to edit) and i learnt so much about w.b and how slow i could get the shutter speed down and hold still!

Indeed.. Trust me, I got some really bad shots aswell ;) Loads of underexposed ones where I tried to do it manually ;)

Need to know what buttons do what on the camera before I do that..
 
Joined
Sep 9, 2006
Messages
690
Reaction score
51
Points
28
Your Mac's Specs
macbook
Indeed.. Trust me, I got some really bad shots aswell ;) Loads of underexposed ones where I tried to do it manually ;)

Need to know what buttons do what on the camera before I do that..

The camera should show a lightmeter through the viewfinder, or if it has an LCD display, it'll probably show it there.

If you're shooting fully manual, you'll need to work both aperture and shutter speed. Generally, I'd try to keep the shutter speed above 1/60. And slower than that and there's an increased chance of camera shake. Shooting outdoors though, there's a pretty low chance of shooting at that speed anyway.

Also, Canon DSLR's are fantastic with high ISO settings, so if you're indoors, switch to a higher ISO. This'll allow you to shoot without using the flash, which tends to flatten the image (as the Orangutan shows)

As for the settings on the dial, I couldn't explain all as I don't have that camera, and only have a Nikon D40x, but I guess most are similar or very self explanatory.

I mostly shoot on 'P' setting. Exposure is auto, but flash will only come on if you set it to. You can also control ISO. I forget what it stands for now - Programmed, or something like that. Someone please correct me if that's incorrect.

'A' setting - Aperture priority. Here, you can set the aperture, and the shutter speed will adjust itself accordingly for the exposure. Good for a variety of purposes - macro shots for example - you can control depth of field through aperture, so this will allow you to easily change it if need be. It could also be great for landscapes, as you could set the aperture to F11 or above to ensure everything is in focus.

'S' setting - Shutter speed priority. Pretty much the same as 'A', but with shutter speed. Ideal for action shots as you can maintain a fast shutter speed to capture the action, without having to worry about aperture as well.

'M' - obviously manual mode. You'll need to use the in-camera lightmeter here to expose your shots properly

All the other dials are pretty easy to work out. Generally they include; sports, macro, portrait, landscape, night etc. I generally avoid using them, as I don't really get the same level of control. Some may allow you to change some settings, others won't.

Also, since you have a DSLR, make sure you get used to shooting RAW. You'll reveal entirely new levels of editing possibilities and image quality and control. File sizes can me much larger, but if you want a quality shot, this is THE setting to use. It can also help correct minor over/under exposure issues, as well as editing white balance, sharpness etc. after you've taken the shot.

Hope that's of some help.

As for the shots, they're looking pretty good. Some nice closeups. Don't feel you need to limit your shots to just that if you want details. The location and body language of the subject can be just as important as what their face is telling us.

Keep those pics coming!
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2006
Messages
2,572
Reaction score
173
Points
63
Location
Southern California
Your Mac's Specs
Macky the 21.5'' iMac 2.7ghz i5 8GB, Mr. Pink 64GB iPhone 6, iPad Jr. 16GB Air 2, 13'' MBAir 1.6Ghz
Great pictures!! :)
 
Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
2,641
Reaction score
134
Points
63
Location
Durtburg, WV
Your Mac's Specs
Sooper Fast!
The 400D has several auto picture modes, like portrait and landscape, but the big one's you'll probably end up using are M(Manual), TV(Shutter Priority - Everything is auto but shutter speed), and AV(Aperture Value - Everything is auto but the aperture)

Also, once you start learning about exposure and how the camera settings work, then you'll be able to use this little bit of info. Generally, the lowest acepted shutter speed that can capture an image that won't be affected by camera shake is going to be equal to the focal length you're shooting at. Some one mentioned keeping it at higher than 60, but if you're using the kit lens (18-55) and have it "zoomed out" all the way, the focal length will by 18mm. You'll want to used a shutter speed faster than 1/18 of a second. If you're using a zoom lens that zooms to 200mm and you have it zoomed out all the way, you'll want to use a shutter speed faster than 1/200 of a second.

There's factors that can affect those numbers, like whether or not the lens has IS (Image Stabilization), so it's just a general rule.
 
Joined
Sep 9, 2006
Messages
690
Reaction score
51
Points
28
Your Mac's Specs
macbook
The 400D has several auto picture modes, like portrait and landscape, but the big one's you'll probably end up using are M(Manual), TV(Shutter Priority - Everything is auto but shutter speed), and AV(Aperture Value - Everything is auto but the aperture)

Also, once you start learning about exposure and how the camera settings work, then you'll be able to use this little bit of info. Generally, the lowest acepted shutter speed that can capture an image that won't be affected by camera shake is going to be equal to the focal length you're shooting at. Some one mentioned keeping it at higher than 60, but if you're using the kit lens (18-55) and have it "zoomed out" all the way, the focal length will by 18mm. You'll want to used a shutter speed faster than 1/18 of a second. If you're using a zoom lens that zooms to 200mm and you have it zoomed out all the way, you'll want to use a shutter speed faster than 1/200 of a second.

There's factors that can affect those numbers, like whether or not the lens has IS (Image Stabilization), so it's just a general rule.

aha, interesting. I was taught that anything slower than 1/60, you're more likely to get camera shake when shooting hand-held.

Nice little bit of info there!
 
Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
2,641
Reaction score
134
Points
63
Location
Durtburg, WV
Your Mac's Specs
Sooper Fast!
aha, interesting. I was taught that anything slower than 1/60, you're more likely to get camera shake when shooting hand-held.

Nice little bit of info there!

The shorter the focal length, the lesser the effect of camera shake.

But that's just a general rule, even without IS I've still got sharp shots at 1/15th of a second with a 50mm lens. Of course, it's more like 1 out of 10 shots rather than 8 out of 10. But some times when the conditions don't accomodate the rules, you have to do what you have to regardless.

I shoot bands here and there and when you shoot amatuer venues that aren't very well lit, you have to do what it takes to get the shot. Plus any other tricks to steady the camera helps as well. I did order a Canon 70-200 2.8 IS, similar to Nikon's 70-200 2.8 VR, so I'll have some better equipment to play with for a show the day before MLK's Bday. That'll be fun.
 
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Messages
102
Reaction score
3
Points
18
all i can say is dont always follow the exposure/light meter on the camera!!! it will expose things how it thinks, and as soon as u add flashes to the mix it will be of no use
 
Joined
Dec 18, 2005
Messages
2,288
Reaction score
51
Points
48
Location
Devon, England
Your Mac's Specs
ibook g4, imac 2ghz c2d, mbp 2.4ghz c2d - 10.5.1
wow very nice.

post some more when you take some others.
 
Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
2,641
Reaction score
134
Points
63
Location
Durtburg, WV
Your Mac's Specs
Sooper Fast!
all i can say is dont always follow the exposure/light meter on the camera!!! it will expose things how it thinks, and as soon as u add flashes to the mix it will be of no use

Not true. Balancing flash with ambient light is important sometimes and when you start using a flash, you're getting two exposures.
 
Joined
Sep 9, 2006
Messages
690
Reaction score
51
Points
28
Your Mac's Specs
macbook
Not true. Balancing flash with ambient light is important sometimes and when you start using a flash, you're getting two exposures.

yep, that's what I discovered last year when doing some product shots at work. When you have auto exposure, using flash will usually set the shutter to 1/60. However, you can still get great shots at slower shutter speeds on manual (with the help of a tripod) under the same lighting conditions - it just means that the flash will be less prominent.

Since we didn't have a proper photography studio at work, I had to use flash and ambient light from the room and/or windows to help (I know white balance and colours would be all over the place, but this was mostly for monthly flyer work)

Turning the flash down if possible (or using a tissue to cover it) can help too.

Also, "how the camera thinks" can vary depending on the exposure settings. Depending on the subject, spot focus will give a different reading to a matrix (overall) reading.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top