How important is autofocus for you?

[CuriousMike]

I 99% shoot stationary objects and am mostly on auto,

Don't come crying to CuriousMike when *the shot of your life* appears, and your camera decides to focus on the tree instead of big foot.

 

[zCypher]

I had set it to ISO 800. I usually leave the ISO the lowest possible and only increase it as required in order to meet my shutter speed needs. For some reason I haven't really dabbled in programmed modes like aperture priority or whatnot. The only thing I use auto mode is auto focus, unless the gf is using the camera, then I find it in full auto.

thanks for all the tips by the way. while i play with the focus options more closely, i'm keeping my eyes peeled for deals on ultrawide and primes.

 

[CuriousMike]

I suspect if you learn spot focus + continuous AF, you might find your need for a new lens mitigated.

 

[finbarqs]

It looked like the tree bark is in focus, squirrel is OOF (must've hit the bark for the focal point)

 

[unrlmth]

Also, you shot the squirrel at 55mm, 1/30 of a second.

The general "rule" is 1/focal length to stop shake(blur).
Your VR helped you in this case, and you must have auto-ISO on because it was boosted to 800.

Keep your shutter speed in mind if you want the sharpest photos.

Also since it is a crop camera, you will want it to be slightly faster so 1/(1.5xfocal length) is a good rule of thumb.

Also, for moving subjects, be sure to use AF-C ( continuous autofocus. )
Note that AF-C doesn't work well with "focus and re-compose".

To add to this, and if you want to try something a little different, you can map the AF to the AE-L button on the back so you can focus separately from the shutter.

And as a side note about the RX100, I own tons of Nikon gear (worth more than my car...), but I've shot with my RX100 mk1 since I've gotten it. It's small enough to fit in my pocket so I can bring it with me when I otherwise wouldn't have a camera. Image quality is excellent, and you can easily bounce the flash for night photos. Probably the best $300 I've spent on a camera.

 

[finbarqs]

Also since it is a crop camera, you will want it to be slightly faster so 1/(1.5xfocal length) is a good rule of thumb.



To add to this, and if you want to try something a little different, you can map the AF to the AE-L button on the back so you can focus separately from the shutter.

And as a side note about the RX100, I own tons of Nikon gear (worth more than my car...), but I've shot with my RX100 mk1 since I've gotten it. It's small enough to fit in my pocket so I can bring it with me when I otherwise wouldn't have a camera. Image quality is excellent, and you can easily bounce the flash for night photos. Probably the best $300 I've spent on a camera.

I never believed because it's a crop camera, you need to shoot faster rule. Think of it this way: You take a picture with a FF camera. You crop the image 1.5x smaller. Will it magnify the camera shake?

 

[unrlmth]

I never believed because it's a crop camera, you need to shoot faster rule. Think of it this way: You take a picture with a FF camera. You crop the image 1.5x smaller. Will it magnify the camera shake?

Yes, if viewed at the same size, but at 100% they will be identical. The 1/focal length rule was designed for 35mm cameras. You want to use the effective full frame focal length. However it is only a rule of thumb and the pixel density of the sensor also has an effect. The ability to see camera shake is much more pronounced in a higher resolution camera than a lower resolution one. In your example, if you crop the photo you keep the same pixel density, so when viewed at 100% they will be identical.

For example an iPhone has a focal length of 4mm, which is equivalent to a 30mm focal length on a full frame camera. So you would want to shoot at at least 1/30s not 1/4s.

 

[doubledeluxe]

Damn important if the subject is moving. Very convenient if it's not.

On Sony cameras I've shot in manual but that was because they have a different focusing system and their autofocus didn't seem as good as my Nikon.

 

[CuriousMike]

In my mind, I just generically keep it (1/focal length), whether on crop of FF.
My thinking is VR wipes away the 50% zoomed shake factor; i.e., I never take VR into account for my shutter speed.

 

[blastingcap]

In my mind, I just generically keep it (1/focal length), whether on crop of FF.
My thinking is VR wipes away the 50% zoomed shake factor; i.e., I never take VR into account for my shutter speed.

It doesn't work that way. Say a tiny-sensor superzoom camera has a 10x crop factor. So it goes to 50mm (500mm full frame equivalent) at its longest end. Would you really shoot that superzoom at 1/50th of a second? Of course not. You have to multiply by the crop factor. So 1/f becomes 1/(f*cf) where f = focal length and cf = crop factor.

Also dirty secret but OS often doesn't help except at slower shutter speeds, like under 1/500th second so it's better to leave it off if you can keep your shutter speed at 1/500 or faster. YMMV.

 

[CuriousMike]

It doesn't work that way. Say a tiny-sensor superzoom camera has a 10x crop factor. So it goes to 50mm (500mm full frame equivalent) at its longest end. Would you really shoot that superzoom at 1/50th of a second? Of course not. You have to multiply by the crop factor. So 1/f becomes 1/f*cf where f = focal length and cf = crop factor.

Also dirty secret but OS often doesn't help except at slower shutter speeds, like under 1/500th second so it's better to leave it off if you can keep your shutter speed at 1/500 or faster. YMMV.

No, of course not.
But I didn't bring into discussion a 1/2.3" sensor camera.
This discussion has revolved around a D5100.

There are lots of gotcha's with VR, including what you've described.
When should you use NORMAL vs ACTIVE VR?
Turn it off on a tripod.
Etc.

 

[zCypher]

No, of course not.
But I didn't bring into discussion a 1/2.3" sensor camera.
This discussion has revolved around a D5100.

There are lots of gotcha's with VR, including what you've described.
When should you use NORMAL vs ACTIVE VR?
Turn it off on a tripod.
Etc.

mine is the D5200, but I don't think there's an appreciable difference for the purposes of this discussion. it's a friend of mine that has the D5100.

also I realized that, for some reason, VR was turned off. so I guess the shot was not so bad considering. i'll be playing around with spot + continuous to see where that brings me.

re: the RX100 - I know, it's a hell of a camera for that size. i've been tempted to pick one up if I come across a good deal.

 

[jhansman]

I like it for general use, so long as the setting is bright enough for me to check DOF with preview. When shooting macro or close-up, manual only. My vision ain't what is used to be, so I have to double check to make sure I got the shot I wanted.

 

[zCypher]

here are a couple shots from tonight

 

[Imp]

Montreal has some of the nicest lighting for night photography. Somehow, I didn't get mugged the last time I went there and wandered around Old Montreal at night.

 

[Cheergo]

For me it is essential - I don't have time to manually focus except when using myOES 5DII with stationary subjects,

ditto here!

 

[biostud]

I use single point AF all the time. I also try to keep shutter speed 1/100 or faster. I shoot with manual ISO and in aperture mode all the time, which means I have total control of depth of field while the camera takes care of shutter speed. If I can't get fast shutter times I either increase ISO or change to a faster aperture. I use the +/- setting for lighting control.

 

[Railgun]

I use single point AF all the time.

Ditto. Always. Only in a couple of cases when doing night skylines have I gone to manual. Generally, my cameras are dead on focusing. Those shots are generally at f/8 at whatever exposure I need, and on a tripod.

 

[finbarqs]

Yes, if viewed at the same size, but at 100% they will be identical. The 1/focal length rule was designed for 35mm cameras. You want to use the effective full frame focal length. However it is only a rule of thumb and the pixel density of the sensor also has an effect. The ability to see camera shake is much more pronounced in a higher resolution camera than a lower resolution one. In your example, if you crop the photo you keep the same pixel density, so when viewed at 100% they will be identical.

For example an iPhone has a focal length of 4mm, which is equivalent to a 30mm focal length on a full frame camera. So you would want to shoot at at least 1/30s not 1/4s.

This is where the pixels per inch come into effect: Higher resolution camera will depict the given PPI. So for example, a 5DMK2 has 21mp, which is equivalent to a 8MP APSC sensor. What this means is that you take an image of a 5D MK2 using, let's say, a 35mm lens, and do the same thing with a 8MP APS-C (30D, 20D) you'll get the same exact image, when you take the FF camera and crop it to APS-C size in POST. Same "camera shake" as the 5D MK2.

Therefore, it's not the size of the sensor that should depict the general rule, but more about the pixel density of the sensor!

D800 (36mp) is about the same as their D5100 (16mp) so basically, you can take an image from the D800, Crop it 40% less, and you'd get the SAME EXACT image as the D5100, if you'd use the same lens. Same camera shake, same everything. They're both the same pixel pitch, so essentially, they literally chopped 40% of the D800 sensor and gave it to the D5100 APS-C camera.