wombatsauce

iTrader: (7)

Yes, the built-in flashes are totally useless, but something else one might not think of - is it can only make things worse when you start using a lens like the 17-40mm and just silly with any tele because the lens itself casts a shadow.. I handed my cam to someone at a bday party, and she switched it to "auto" so the flash popped up. All her pics had a dark arc of a shadow at the bottom of the pic from the lens... Haha.. I seriously need a flash. Prolly gonna get the 480-EX.

DetailAddict

iTrader: (52)

thanks!

MyNikonLens

iTrader: (2)

TTL (Through The Lens) Refers to a single-lens reflex camera that lets the photographer view the scene through the same lens that captures the image. "TTL metering" means that the light is measured from behind the lens to determine the correct shutter and flash settings.


Slow Sync - A special mode in digicams that opens the shutter for a longer than normal period and fires the flash just before it closes. Used for illuminating a foreground subject yet allowing a darker background to also be rendered. Good for night time shots of buildings with people in the foreground.

MyNikonLens

iTrader: (2)

Here is a dictionary for all the terms that maybe used on this thread.

http://www.computerschool.net/dphoto/dictionary.html

so steezy

iTrader: (17)

I have a canon rebel STi and I was wondering what lens I should get. The lens that came with the kit is kinda weak. I mainly want to do outdoor photos and sports action shots.

Rescuer

iTrader: (9)

*reminder

total lunar eclipse tonight

SubyN00by

iTrader: (15)

yeh, I think around my area it's gonna be too cloudy to see it...damn this weather!!!

DetailAddict

iTrader: (52)

ahh... thanks, I was playing with the 'slow' option with my flash last night and I think I know what you are talking about now. btw, when people say 'measure the light', what reading are you getting? The exposure and aperture? If that is the case, do I just put the camera in "M" and adjust the exposure and aperture until the it's at 0 with that +/- bar?



thanks for the link... more reading tonight.

MyNikonLens

iTrader: (2)

when i do on location portrait shoots, i use a hand held meter and measure the light. what's important is knowing what speed i want so shoot at so i can get enough natural light to come into the camera. then i open my lens to the appropriate f stop and then force the flash to TTL accordingly. that way i get the best of both worlds, natural light, and fill flash. so that's what i mean with measure the light... mostly hand held.

so if you don't have a hand held, measuring through the camera is ok, but your flash needs to be off. then what you can do is either choose slow sync or go manual and use flash at the same time. both should give you similar results.

if you're shooting at night or low light, you have to have a steady tripod because the speed will be slow.... so if you ask what slow is. anytime your speed is less that the focal length of your camera, then that is considered slow and the picture might be shaky. so shooting in low light on a tripod allows the camera to absorb the light to make the shot. then the flash under slow sync will work very nicely... of course assuming you're shooting objects that are not moving.. so this does not work for people shooting.

another thing: HDR does not always mean tone management. HDR allows you to take 3 shots at different settings and lay them one on top of the other. this way it image will come out complete with the best exposures for every possible situation in your image, covering low light, too much light, and so on.

hope this helps and sorry if it is too much.

glider

iTrader: (23)

Any of those sports shots indoors or in dim light?

As a general suggestion, go to Adolph Gassers (or somewhere like it) and try renting a couple of lenses, see what suits you. You can rent a $1,200 lens for about $30 for a day (or weekend). The only worry is you might end up deciding you can't live without an L series lens

JZ oo7

iTrader: (1)

i'll stay away from them. never had a good experience with them and i've heard others complain as well. if you're near san francisco you can rent from calumet. they have a policy that if you decide to buy that lens (a new one of course), they'll credit you with the price you paid for renting it.

MyNikonLens

iTrader: (2)

this is really funny. you're getting mixed up between your camera and subaru. your Canon is XTI and not STI.

glider

iTrader: (23)

That's good to know. I've not had a problem renting from them, but I haven't bought anything much there -- not least because it tends to be at MSRP, and thusly awfully expensive. There is a bit of a snooty vibe around the place, but the rental folks seem OK. But I started going there on the basis of it being 10 minutes' walk from work, not any sort of considered comparison.

You're the second person to give Calumet the thumbs up, though. I'll take a swing down there for a look.

so steezy

iTrader: (17)

I had no idea you could do that...thanks for the info glider. I will for sure try that. as for the sports shots, they are 90% of the time taken outdoors (snowboarding and baseball events mostly). I wouldnt mind to have a lens that takes great night shots as well, not just for sports, but overall.

haha, I had no idea that. goes to show you where my mind is this morning when im supposed to be working.

glider

iTrader: (23)

Taking shots in dim light means a "fast" lens, i.e. low f-stop number (think f/2.8 for a zoom). You need a wide aperture to grab a lot of light, since capturing moving subjects crisply dictates a higher shutter. Image stabilization won't help with a moving subject. Alas, faster lenses are heavier -- more glass for a bigger aperture -- and more expensive than their slower cousins. Having said that, if you're mostly taking daytime outdoor shots you can get away without an enormously fast lens, especially in California in the summer where light is plentiful.

For night shots, don't worry so much about the speed of the lens. For marginal conditions -- think well lit car parks at dusk -- image stabilization combined with higher ISO (think 800) will let you get some good handheld shots down to shutter speeds about 1/15 of a second. For "real" night shots you'll be on a tripod with a multi-second exposure anyway (even IS won't let you do that handheld) and the speed of the lens isn't terribly important. Here's a gallery all shot as long exposures, some on a Canon 17-85mm f/4-5.6, others on the 70-200mm f/4l.