new to DSLR; My Canon 650d

[HAZZA]

any feedback or tips appeciated, very new to DSLR, a few pics from my first shoot1st pic' shutter 0.3,av 11, ISO 400,2nd pic, shutter 1/20, av 5.6, iso 800.

[Stagecoach]

Hi Harry, I like the compositions and will make the following comments in an aim to assist you.

On looking at the histogram of the bridge image it is exposed to the left with some clipping that is evident on the brickwork at the front of the bridge. This is causing a loss of detail that is not recoverable in post processing. I suspect you metered on the inner surface of the arch which appears correctly exposed.

I also note you used an aperture of f5.6 which has given you the shallow DOF, it may be that you wanted this ?

Grahame

[dubaiphil]

Hi HAZZA

For shot #1, you're shooting at f11 and 55mm, so depth of field should be sufficient for the scene. However there are two main issues before we get to the exposure. 1 - the shutter speed of 1/3rd of a second. 2 - Focus.

The shutter speed is too slow for a hand held shot. That's why you have lots of blur. A good rule to remember for a 35mm camera is 1/focal length for your minimum shutter speed. Therefore 1/55th would be your minimum. 1/55th doesn't exist, so 1/60th is the nearest possibility you have. Now as you're shooting on a crop sensor body you have to multiply the focal length by 1.6 (for Canon) - so 1/100th is a good safe bet.

For focus, I'm not sure what you're focusing on because of the above!

Now for the exposure, you'd be looking at a shutter speed of 1/100th or so. 1/3rd of a second is a lot slower, so to get to around 1/80th to 1/100th second you're going to need to make compromises. The first would be aperture. If you go from f11 to f8, you are instantly going to double your shutter speed to 1/6th second. Depth of Field would still be sufficient in this scene.

Increasing your ISO from 400 to 800 would double the shutter speed again, to around 1/15th sec.
Increasing again from ISO800 to 1600 would double the shutter speed again, to around 1/30th sec
Increasing again from ISO1600 to 3200 would double the shutter speed again, to around 1/60th sec.

At 55mm and 1/60th if you're steady you should get a sharp shot. Decreasing your aperture further to f7.1 or f6.3 will increase your shutter speed to around 1/80th and your shot should be sharper still. Or at least you will get more sharp photos as a result.

The scene in shot #1 looks back lit with distracting sunlight in the top left, so lowering the light entering the lens80 would result in a better exposure.

ISO3200, 55mm, f8, 1/80th to 1/100th would result in a slightly under exposed image which would possibly be more pleasing on the eye, as well as sharp.


For shot #2, you have the same low shutter speed, although not as dramatic as before. Increasing your shutter speed will help get a sharper shot. Using -ive exposure compensation of -0.7 to -1.0 will again give you a better balanced image.

[HAZZA]

thanks Grahame, very helpful, i think i did meter on the inner arch so i need to be more aware of this, as for the aperture i tried a 5.6 and also 11 in another shot which i think may have given me a better result. appreciate the feedback, have gone from using a digital with mainly shooting on Auto to using all Manual settings on the Canon, sure I will have fun learning.

[HAZZA]

thanks Phil - some great tips for me as a learner. I think i spent too much time trying to get the silky watereffect rather than concentrationg on the total pic - a beginners mistake i suspect? appreciate all ,the feedback, will help me alot

regards

Harry

[Scott Stephen]

Hi HAZZA

For shot #1, you're shooting at f11 and 55mm, so depth of field should be sufficient for the scene. However there are two main issues before we get to the exposure. 1 - the shutter speed of 1/3rd of a second. 2 - Focus.

The shutter speed is too slow for a hand held shot. That's why you have lots of blur. A good rule to remember for a 35mm camera is 1/focal length for your minimum shutter speed. Therefore 1/55th would be your minimum. 1/55th doesn't exist, so 1/60th is the nearest possibility you have. Now as you're shooting on a crop sensor body you have to multiply the focal length by 1.6 (for Canon) - so 1/100th is a good safe bet.

For focus, I'm not sure what you're focusing on because of the above!

Now for the exposure, you'd be looking at a shutter speed of 1/100th or so. 1/3rd of a second is a lot slower, so to get to around 1/80th to 1/100th second you're going to need to make compromises. The first would be aperture. If you go from f11 to f8, you are instantly going to double your shutter speed to 1/6th second. Depth of Field would still be sufficient in this scene.

Increasing your ISO from 400 to 800 would double the shutter speed again, to around 1/15th sec.
Increasing again from ISO800 to 1600 would double the shutter speed again, to around 1/30th sec
Increasing again from ISO1600 to 3200 would double the shutter speed again, to around 1/60th sec.

At 55mm and 1/60th if you're steady you should get a sharp shot. Decreasing your aperture further to f7.1 or f6.3 will increase your shutter speed to around 1/80th and your shot should be sharper still. Or at least you will get more sharp photos as a result.

The scene in shot #1 looks back lit with distracting sunlight in the top left, so lowering the light entering the lens80 would result in a better exposure.

ISO3200, 55mm, f8, 1/80th to 1/100th would result in a slightly under exposed image which would possibly be more pleasing on the eye, as well as sharp.


For shot #2, you have the same low shutter speed, although not as dramatic as before. Increasing your shutter speed will help get a sharper shot. Using -ive exposure compensation of -0.7 to -1.0 will again give you a better balanced image.

That is a very well-explained analysys of the shot, and of the equivalences between shutter/aperature/ISO. The only bone I'd pick with this is the ISO.
I have a 600D, which is very similar to his 650D camera. There is no way you want to be shooting 3200 with that, unless you have just spotted Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster at night, and you simply need to capture some kind of image fast. The noise would just be way too ugly. I don't like to shoot above 400 ISO with mine. You are 3 stops above that. With that camera, he'd be much better off opening the aperature a couple of stops, and/or maybe just putting the camera on a tripod (or a rock or something) to allow for a slower shutter.

[dubaiphil]

Ah!

Or a tripod

[bedantabd]

thanks Phil - some great tips for me as a learner. I think i spent too much time trying to get the silky watereffect rather than concentrationg on the total pic - a beginners mistake i suspect? appreciate all ,the feedback, will help me alot

regards

Harry

Silky water effect.............where is the water Hazza? Ok, now that you have mentioned it, I can see the water at the bottom corner of the image, consisting of less than 25% of the entire image. The staircase and the tree above the stream consists of the remaining 75% (when I first saw your image, I thought were the subjects); and they are not contributing much to the image. You must give more importance to the subject by way of the more coverage / better positioning (rule of third), and eliminate / minimize other distracting / non-contributing matters in your image so that the image can convey your feeling/intention to the viewers.

So, apart from all the technical details as explained beautifully by Phil, you should also start considering the compositional elements of making an image. Look at the images made by other photographers on the subject (waterfall etc. in this case), read materials / books / blogs on composition and try them on your own, this will help you a lot in understanding the basics of composition.

One more thing, a tripod is a must for this kind of shot. Otherwise you can also try a shutter speed of around 1/20 (if you have a very steady pair of hands), that should work.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

Bedanta

[HAZZA]

Thanks everyone - some really helpful feedback - will take on board for my next outing. In pic 1 I actually did use a tripod - I think the blur is as a result of the slow shutter speed and the wind around at the time

[dubaiphil]

In pic 1 I actually did use a tripod - I think the blur is as a result of the slow shutter speed and the wind around at the time

I have one word for you now - ebay!

Get rid of that tripod, if you used one!

[AB26]

Hi hazza,
If you are so new to digital photography I would suggest using your 650D on the green A for a while. If you see the shutter speed drop below 1/60sec use a tripod or other way of stabilizing the camera.
The 650D should handle a reasonable dynamic range and you will soon get a feel for where to take the light reading in contrasty shots.
Read the manual and try different settings and see the results. The only way to learn is by trial and error. Don’t worry about the lost shots – you can take them again. If you do not want to take a chance on losing a good shot USE THE GREEN A, until you are more experienced in using other settings.
The green A is for amateur and none of us have to be ashamed to use it.

Enjoy your new toy and do not get discouraged if you cannot achieve the desired results straight away. Those good shots with perfect exposure only comes with experience that you will gain when using your camera.

PS.: Do not be shy to try out every button and setting on the camera – and please do not forget about the manual White Balance settings, try them.

Happy shooting and keep posting.

[HAZZA]

Thanks Andre, really appreciate the advice and I have started reading the manual more and playing with the buttons,a mate from work also prompted me on the White balance so I will be more mindful of this - thanks again