Calling all photo buffs

[neonerd]

this picture had some potential, but I screwed it up somehow. It looked great on the camera, but when I transfered it onto the computer, it's quite grainy. Exif information is on the bottom, so if anybody knows, tell me what I did wrong.

 

[pyonir]

1/30th of a second, were you using a tripod?

 

[LordMaul]

Maybe set your aperture higher? Just a guess.

 

[myusername]

Originally posted by: pyonir
tripod

 

[Anubis]

it looks under exposed and its at ISO 400, it also has motion blur due to teh fact that it was shot at 1/30 @ 70mm

 

[neonerd]

Originally posted by: pyonir
1/30th of a second, were you using a tripod?

Just noticed that... no, I wasn't using a tripod.

Originally posted by: LordMaul
Maybe set your aperture higher? Just a guess.

I thought higher aperture produced a more grainy picture

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: neonerd

Originally posted by: pyonir
1/30th of a second, were you using a tripod?

Just noticed that... no, I wasn't using a tripod.

Originally posted by: LordMaul
Maybe set your aperture higher? Just a guess.

I thought higher aperture produced a more grainy picture

apature has nothing to do with grain

 

[neonerd]

Originally posted by: Anubis
it looks under exposed and its at ISO 400, it also has motion blur due to teh fact that it was shot at 1/30 @ 70mm

What should I have the shutter set at for a pic like this?

 

[myusername]

Originally posted by: neonerd

Originally posted by: pyonir
1/30th of a second, were you using a tripod?

Just noticed that... no, I wasn't using a tripod.

Originally posted by: LordMaul
Maybe set your aperture higher? Just a guess.

I thought higher aperture produced a more grainy picture

The aperture changes depth of field, but only has an effect on noise in that a higher aperture requires a longer shutter and/or a higher ISO

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: neonerd

Originally posted by: Anubis
it looks under exposed and its at ISO 400, it also has motion blur due to teh fact that it was shot at 1/30 @ 70mm

What should I have the shutter set at for a pic like this?

IDK depends on what the meter said
but you def should have used a tripod

 

[myusername]

Originally posted by: neonerd

Originally posted by: Anubis
it looks under exposed and its at ISO 400, it also has motion blur due to teh fact that it was shot at 1/30 @ 70mm

What should I have the shutter set at for a pic like this?

based on that image, and assuming the lens won't open any wider, 1/15 to 1/8 on a tripod, preferably with mirror lockup and remote shutter release.

Also, I don't know the "optimum" ISO setting for the camera, but to reduce noise, you may be able to knock it down to 200 or 100 and bump the exposure up to 1/4 or 1/2

 

[Wallydraigle]

I guess you're talking about the full size file, because on the web sized one you linked there's not any glaring grain. Nothing seems to be in focus, but that's a different discussion.

At ISO 400 on the D60 there's going to be some grain, but it's typically not very bad. If it bothers you, try to lower the ISO a notch. ISO 200 is pretty good. You'll have to open up your aperture more or use a slower shutter if you do that.

Alternatively, you can try some noise removal software. There are some very good ones out now, like Noise Ninja and Neat Image.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

You want about a stop more exposure.

You NEED a tripod.

 

[Wallydraigle]

I did some work with it. See how you like it, here.










I cropped out a few pixels and blew them way up, then I pasted Nixon's face into each square. Except the last one, which is Nixon if he were a cat.

 

[OdiN]

Shoot in RAW.

 

[illusion88]

ISO 400

Your D60 isnt that great at shooting in low light. I own a D30 and it sucks at low light. My advice to you is to lower your ISO to 100, where it shoots best, and expose for a longer period of time. Try a 1sec exposure with the same Fstop. If you have the ability, lower your fstop to 2.6 or 1.4. I dont know what sort of lens you are shooting on.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: Wallydraigle
I did some work with it. See how you like it, here.






I cropped out a few pixels and blew them way up, then I pasted Nixon's face into each square. Except the last one, which is Nixon if he were a cat.

Sure it isnt a rat?

What ISO were you shooting?

 

[myusername]

Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider

Originally posted by: Wallydraigle
I did some work with it. See how you like it, here.




Sure it isnt a rat?

What ISO were you shooting?





I cropped out a few pixels and blew them way up, then I pasted Nixon's face into each square. Except the last one, which is Nixon if he were a cat.

ya'll on drugs

 

[Wallydraigle]

Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider

Originally posted by: Wallydraigle
I did some work with it. See how you like it, here.






I cropped out a few pixels and blew them way up, then I pasted Nixon's face into each square. Except the last one, which is Nixon if he were a cat.

Sure it isnt a rat?

What ISO were you shooting?

That's obviously a cat, dude. Are you on crack?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Wallydraigle

Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider

Originally posted by: Wallydraigle
I did some work with it. See how you like it, here.






I cropped out a few pixels and blew them way up, then I pasted Nixon's face into each square. Except the last one, which is Nixon if he were a cat.

Sure it isnt a rat?

What ISO were you shooting?

That's obviously a cat, dude. Are you on crack?

ISO400 is very grainy for my Powershot G3. 200 is tolerable. Unless you have hte new G7s or Rebel XT, ISO400 is really bad.

I recommend going 200 at max. If you have a tripod, there's no reason to use 50 or 100 or as low as it gets.

Furthermore, the human hand can really only hold steady for about 1/60th of a second. If you use 1/30th, I suggest bracing your hands somehow. I have a neckstrap with my camera, so I try to pull on it with my hands extended as a semi-brace. Works ok for down to like 1/20th or so even. I can usually pull off 1/15th 1/10th as good as most other ppl do their 1/30ths with their digital elphs. So yea, try a tripod....

Grainy = film speed.. try lower #. ISO100 will need more light than 400, so prepare for longer exposures.
Blurry = too slow of an exposure and you're moving the camera... get a tripod

 

[FM2n]

If you want the finest grain, always shoot at the lowest ISO that your camera can do - and use a tripod. A tripod overrules the entire slow shutter speed issue, since there will be no shake to begin with. The reason your image may be grainy is because you're using such a high ISO. Depending on the camera that you use, the digital sensor may be very small, and creates more noise than actually capturing fine detail. That's why the best photographers demand larger sensors, or bigger film size, to minimize the need for excessive magnification of the image. Underexposure will also cause noise. I don't know if you did any post processing, but when you amplify exposure, it is the same as amplifying sound on your stereo.. Not only are you amplifying the actual image content, but also the noise that the sensor embedded into image when it was saved.


As for shutter speed, 1/60 is not what humans can handhold. It's just general thinking. The rule of thumb for handheld shutter speed is 1/focal length. So if your lens is 135mm, then your minimum shutter speed should not be any slower than 1/125th. 50mm = 1/60th. 200mm = 1/250th. Etc.

Try handholding a 600mm lens at 1/60 !!!

You can see some long exposures I did here:

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=10 - 4 Minute exposure

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=12 - 5 Minute exposure

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=18 - 4 Seconds

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=1 - 1 Minute

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=17 - 30 Seconds

 

[SupaDupaCheez]

Originally posted by: FM2n
If you want the finest grain, always shoot at the lowest ISO that your camera can do - and use a tripod. A tripod overrules the entire slow shutter speed issue, since there will be no shake to begin with. The reason your image may be grainy is because you're using such a high ISO. Depending on the camera that you use, the digital sensor may be very small, and creates more noise than actually capturing fine detail. That's why the best photographers demand larger sensors, or bigger film size, to minimize the need for excessive magnification of the image. Underexposure will also cause noise. I don't know if you did any post processing, but when you amplify exposure, it is the same as amplifying sound on your stereo.. Not only are you amplifying the actual image content, but also the noise that the sensor embedded into image when it was saved.


As for shutter speed, 1/60 is not what humans can handhold. It's just general thinking. The rule of thumb for handheld shutter speed is 1/focal length. So if your lens is 135mm, then your minimum shutter speed should not be any slower than 1/125th. 50mm = 1/60th. 200mm = 1/250th. Etc.

Try handholding a 600mm lens at 1/60 !!!

You can see some long exposures I did here:

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=10 - 4 Minute exposure

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=12 - 5 Minute exposure

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=18 - 4 Seconds

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=1 - 1 Minute

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=17 - 30 Seconds

Those are some really nice pics (coming from a layman I'm not sure that's a compliment)! What kind of camera/lenses did you use?

 

[FM2n]

Originally posted by: SupaDupaCheez

Originally posted by: FM2n
If you want the finest grain, always shoot at the lowest ISO that your camera can do - and use a tripod. A tripod overrules the entire slow shutter speed issue, since there will be no shake to begin with. The reason your image may be grainy is because you're using such a high ISO. Depending on the camera that you use, the digital sensor may be very small, and creates more noise than actually capturing fine detail. That's why the best photographers demand larger sensors, or bigger film size, to minimize the need for excessive magnification of the image. Underexposure will also cause noise. I don't know if you did any post processing, but when you amplify exposure, it is the same as amplifying sound on your stereo.. Not only are you amplifying the actual image content, but also the noise that the sensor embedded into image when it was saved.


As for shutter speed, 1/60 is not what humans can handhold. It's just general thinking. The rule of thumb for handheld shutter speed is 1/focal length. So if your lens is 135mm, then your minimum shutter speed should not be any slower than 1/125th. 50mm = 1/60th. 200mm = 1/250th. Etc.

Try handholding a 600mm lens at 1/60 !!!

You can see some long exposures I did here:

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=10 - 4 Minute exposure

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=12 - 5 Minute exposure

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=18 - 4 Seconds

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=1 - 1 Minute

http://www.burntlands.org/a/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=17 - 30 Seconds

Those are some really nice pics (coming from a layman I'm not sure that's a compliment)! What kind of camera/lenses did you use?

Thanks! These were all shot on film. Tmax 100 or Tri-x 400 on a Mamiya 645 and handprinted in the darkroom.