This is Photography

[Turf1600]

What does everyone use here to edit their photos?

Anything free that does the trick until I can justify Lightroom?

Photoshop CS3 is free still - I think.

[Jozi]

Someone I know uses picassa

[strang3majik]

What do all you professional guys recommend for a lens on my Nikon D3200? For shooting scenery and cars and such.

I have the original lens and the photos are somewhat grainy. I realize its not the top of the line, but, I've seen clearer photos out of the same camera. :/

[brutus87]

Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 or the Sigma 8-16mm lens.

[mrsleeve]

What do all you professional guys recommend for a lens on my Nikon D3200? For shooting scenery and cars and such.

I have the original lens and the photos are somewhat grainy. I realize its not the top of the line, but, I've seen clearer photos out of the same camera. :/

well for starters I would be looking into your settings 1st off. While glass is a consideration and the entry level kit glass is not premium Low ED, ultra high precision ground lens elements, it should not be giving you a "grainy" look.

I am betting you have your ISO set way too high to keep your shutter times up. High ISO settings = more power to the sensor, more power = a higher Signal to noise ratio. More electromagnetic noise = a grainy or noisy image. Are you shooting in auto ISO or green box mode????


Edit: I am not a Nikon guy ( I shoot Canon and Olympus) so I did a little looking into the 3200, and seems that with the kit glass and the very high resolution sensor there can be some slight image quality issues (though I am still betting its your settings) . I am not that big on 3rd party lenses and while those mentioned above are good less expensive ultra wide angle fast zooms, they will leave you felling limited if thats your only good lens in the general walk around glass. I would be looking at getting a Nikon 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 Low ED glass for general walk around for the same money on amazon. Then spending between 190-250 on a fast prime like a 24mm F2.8 or a 35mm F1.8 or a 50mm F1.8 or F1.4 to get your basic entry level fast glass for lower light situations. I think this would be the best bang for the dollar and give you the best versatility for about an 800 dollar investment to make better use of that high resolution sensor.

better yet post some of these grainy images with the exif data and we might be able to help ya a little better

[Turf1600]

I've been shooting with a d3200. Are my photos grainy?

[BlackbirdM3]

The kit lens that the d3200 isn't that bad of a lens. I think its the same 18-55 VR lens I shoot for wide angle shots. Its plenty sharp. The fact that you can crank the ISO to the moon doesn't mean you will get sharp clean pics with it there. I rarely shoot more than ISO 400, more commonly ISO 100. Lower ISO will give you brighter more vivid colors because the shutter must be open longer to capture the image. Also, when shooting high ISO in bright daylight, the aperture gets closed down because the sensor can't handle the light its reading at that ISO.

From there it comes down to shutter speed and F-stop. For things that are in motion I shoot Shutter priority, things that are stationary, I shoot aperture priority. Depending on what you are trying to catch, an aperture setting of about F8 will usually produce the most sharp overall image. (this gets thrown right out the window if you are trying to pan a shot.)

The d3200 isn't a bad camera, but it quickly shows its limitations as you become a better photographer. Yes its got crazy high resolution, but it gives up a lot of other things that better cameras have settings wise.

Will

[dinanm3atl]

Day One.

I purchased the EOS M on the huge instant rebate. At 299.99 plus 99.99 for the camera, 22mm lens and EF adapter it was a no brainer. I sold my Nex 5N for a profit and walked away with ~100 dollars cash. I did want to buy the EOS M as soon as it was announced but like any new camera tech I wait. And 110% glad I did since the initial release's focus issues would have sent me over the edge. With rebate and the sample videos of the updated firmware I was sold. Special bonus is one could now use their EF lenses but with the Nex 5N adapters were needed and lose features.


Build Quality - It's well built. It feels much more substantial, although it is physically smaller, than the Nex 5N. It has some weight. More than one would imange when going to pick it up. I like that. All the buttons, wheels and screen feel nice to the touch. It doesn't come with much though in the box. Camera, lens, strap, manuals, battery/charger and one cable. Don't think you need much else but lots were in older dSLR boxes.

Screen - This is really nice. I think it is better than the 5D MKII and 7D. Nicest I have seen on a camera. I would say maybe it is the same as the 1Dx? Colors are vibrant. What you see is what you get which is nice. It has capacitive(sp?) touch screen so can multi-zoon and pretty effortless to browse around.







Ergonomics - It is small. It easily fits in a pocket or a normal sized hand. However it's not 'too small' in my opinion. It could use a larger 'grip' like what is present on the Sony's. Controls are easy to use. Menus are quick and easy. All the custom functions will be familiar to a Canon shooter. All are the same.








Shooting - Is great. As easy and good as the Nex 5N. Focus is quick and accurate. Even with the adapter and 300mm f/2.8L it grabs focus quick. Even in a moving car it could lock onto items going by down the road. Really happy with this aspect of the camera.


Focus Test Video - This is inside at 10pm. Just overhead light bulbs that are halogen. To give you an idea on AUTO ISO the camera wants to use 1/30(f/4.5 on 22mm "Kit") of a second and ISO 3200. It's not well lit. Outdoor this test is ~2-3x as fast. So that is pretty darn good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrFph7RRGzA&feature=share&list=UU2ym1n879A4-8rGEy-HIStA

Sample Photos from today. Will add some high ISO items here shortly.


EOS M - Adapter - EF 300mm f/2.8L


BMW E21 323i Baur TC1 01 by Halston Pitman | MotorSportMedia, on Flickr


EOS M - 22mm "Kit"


BMW E21 323i Baur TC1 02 by Halston Pitman | MotorSportMedia, on Flickr


EOS M - 22mm "KIT"


1971 Pontiac GTO Orange Muscle Car 455ci 455 Big Block 11 by Halston Pitman | MotorSportMedia, on Flickr



More to come. Some high ISO. Subject tracking. Maybe a video? Going to take it to the track and try to pan with it :)

[strang3majik]

well for starters I would be looking into your settings 1st off. While glass is a consideration and the entry level kit glass is not premium Low ED, ultra high precision ground lens elements, it should not be giving you a "grainy" look.

I am betting you have your ISO set way too high to keep your shutter times up. High ISO settings = more power to the sensor, more power = a higher Signal to noise ratio. More electromagnetic noise = a grainy or noisy image. Are you shooting in auto ISO or green box mode????


Edit: I am not a Nikon guy ( I shoot Canon and Olympus) so I did a little looking into the 3200, and seems that with the kit glass and the very high resolution sensor there can be some slight image quality issues (though I am still betting its your settings) . I am not that big on 3rd party lenses and while those mentioned above are good less expensive ultra wide angle fast zooms, they will leave you felling limited if thats your only good lens in the general walk around glass. I would be looking at getting a Nikon 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 Low ED glass for general walk around for the same money on amazon. Then spending between 190-250 on a fast prime like a 24mm F2.8 or a 35mm F1.8 or a 50mm F1.8 or F1.4 to get your basic entry level fast glass for lower light situations. I think this would be the best bang for the dollar and give you the best versatility for about an 800 dollar investment to make better use of that high resolution sensor.

better yet post some of these grainy images with the exif data and we might be able to help ya a little better

Its funny because I go back and look at the images and they don't seem all that grainy...lol Many have a minor blur as well...even if using a tripod.

Its mostly when editing them that I see it, especially in paint and in the greens of trees, shrubber, etc. I'll try to find a good example.

As far as how I shoot...I'm almost always in full manual mode. ISO almost never leaves 100 unless its a low light situation, then I hate going anymore than 400, 800 if its necessary, and even then I usually throw out those images.

Only thing I usually have on AUTO is white balance, and unless theres an issue, usually auto focus. My camera also has noise reduction, which I have on. I haven't tried shooting with it off before, nor have I ever switched the VR on the lens off.

So, I'm not sure if any of that has anything to do with it.

But let me hunt for a good pic. Photobucket and/or Flickr will downgrade them quite a bit but I'll try. Lol.

Thanks though guys...I'll look into those lenses.

[BlackbirdM3]

Some shots from San Francisco today. The black and white shots were done with an infrared filter. The America's cup boats are fast, downwind the New Zealand boat is good for more than 50 mph, on 20 mph worth of wind. It will outrun an offshore racing motorboat. Its pretty impressive to watch.

Will

[strang3majik]

I found a perfect example...taken with a tripod with a 10 second timer...

Camera - NIKON D3200
F-Stop - f/5.6
Exposure Time - 1 Sec
ISO Speed - ISO-100
Focal Length - 55mm
Max Aperture - 5
Metering - Pattern
White Balance - Auto

[BlackbirdM3]

Its funny because I go back and look at the images and they don't seem all that grainy...lol Many have a minor blur as well...even if using a tripod.

Its mostly when editing them that I see it, especially in paint and in the greens of trees, shrubber, etc. I'll try to find a good example.

As far as how I shoot...I'm almost always in full manual mode. ISO almost never leaves 100 unless its a low light situation, then I hate going anymore than 400, 800 if its necessary, and even then I usually throw out those images.

Only thing I usually have on AUTO is white balance, and unless theres an issue, usually auto focus. My camera also has noise reduction, which I have on. I haven't tried shooting with it off before, nor have I ever switched the VR on the lens off.

So, I'm not sure if any of that has anything to do with it.

But let me hunt for a good pic. Photobucket and/or Flickr will downgrade them quite a bit but I'll try. Lol.

Thanks though guys...I'll look into those lenses.

Are you noticing the grain when zoomed in? If so, its noise. With Lightroom you can go in and use the noise reduction tool to reduce the Luminescence noise, or color noise. Either one pops up with both red and green shades. It can be reduced. I use the tool all the time. The more correct the shot, the less noise you will have. A really perfect focus and aperture setting usually you will find there is very little noise in the picture. It might also be as sharp as the sensor can get in terms of resolution.

The black and white shots I just posted were all shot using my 18-55VR lens. Its plenty sharp.

Will

[BlackbirdM3]

I found a perfect example...taken with a tripod with a 10 second timer...

Camera - NIKON D3200
F-Stop - f/5.6
Exposure Time - 1 Sec
ISO Speed - ISO-100
Focal Length - 55mm
Max Aperture - 5
Metering - Pattern
White Balance - Auto

That is odd. Try shooting as a single spot, center weighted metering pattern. That might help. Looking at that pic, the bokha absolutely sucks. That would point to the lens being off, but I don't think that is it. What lens where you using? I'm shoot this lens http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-55mm-vr.htm and I'm pretty sure its the same one you have.

Here is another shot using said lens


Here is another shot, about 1 min exposure or so, moonlight only. The trees are fuzzy because the wind was blowing pretty hard.


Will

[Vokuhila]

For some weird reason, I quite like this shot, although my composition was far from good:

[lambo]

Any suggestions for reading material to help me learn concepts on how to really utilize a DSLR's abilities?

Also, how many of you guys actually took classes for photography and how many of you are strictly self-taught?