dark photos

[keith farr]

hi all
just signed up so new to this.
have a queary someone may be able to help me with.
i have a canon ds1000 with which iam pleased with.
but have just aquired a samyang telephoto lens 650-1300, all the photos thus far are looking great through the view finder but come out very dark when viewed on screen.
what am i doing wrong?

[carregwen]

hi all
just signed up so new to this.
have a queary someone may be able to help me with.
i have a canon ds1000 with which iam pleased with.
but have just aquired a samyang telephoto lens 650-1300, all the photos thus far are looking great through the view finder but come out very dark when viewed on screen.
what am i doing wrong?

Hi there, and welcome to CiC

Is it possible for you to post one of the shots, including the EXIF data?

Please make sure that you read post #1 of this thread HERE which will help you get started. And especially our Code of Conduct in the FAQ HERE

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Keith,

Welcome to the CIC forums from me.

I'm not familiar with the camera or lens, but that doesn't sound like a "Canon standard" lens and most probably requires you to set manual exposure.

I doubt it is chipped for the metering to work normally, it may be that the camera is assuming it is one aperture, while in fact it is something else.

I suggest experimenting with differing shutter speeds (on M) until you get a decent exposed picture and try to work out, perhaps comparing to the normal lens, what is going on.

Cheers,

[Wirefox]

from e-pinions

The Bottom Line.
This is a very affordable lens that provides extreme magnification or close-ups. It has sturdy construction but poor ergonomics. The manual focus and fixed aperture will be severe limitations to all but the most advanced photographers. It is priced to appeal to the average photographer, but its lack of auto focus and auto aperture makes it less user friendly. Besides, you will rarely if ever require this much magnification. I get more enjoyment from my Sigma 28-200mm, and my Canon 75-300mm lenses with auto focus and fast variable apertures. Overall I cannot recommend this lens without reservations.

Dave's observation is correct and the article goes on to say

Fixed Aperture Only.
The more advanced lenses sold by Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sigma, have built-in electronics that along with the camera, allow for fine control over the aperture and focus. The Samyang lens does not have such electronics. This means that you will need to have a good working knowledge of controlling the exposure with ISO and shutter settings on the camera. The fixed aperture will appear smaller with increased focal length. As you slide out the focal length adjustment tube (zoom), the aperture or the F-number is marked next to the focal lengths. They are calibrated as follows:
650mm-----f8
800mm-----f9.5
900mm-----f11
1000mm---f12.3
1100mm---f13.5
1200mm---f14.7
1300mm---f16
These are only marked on the lens, to help the photographer decide the appropriate exposure and shutter speed on the camera.

Full review HERE

Keith I think you mean the Canon 1000D the DS1000 is a compact point and shoot. Which could explain why the shots are dark

[rpcrowe]

I would try using shutter priority "T" setting and ISO of at least 800. Still, you won't be able to get sharp images unless you have some sort of camera support such as a tripod or even a pillow or bean bag. The lens will not focus automatically and it will be too dark if you try to focus manually. You can set the focus to infinity and shoot things far away from you.

A better option would be to return this lens for a refund, if possible, and get a Canon 55-250mm lens which is not as long as the one you are trying to use. However, it would be around the same price and would definitely provide far better results.

[Steaphany]

I concur with Steve and regarding the e-opinions article. I too ran a google on the Samyang Telephoto lens 650-1300mm lens and feel this is more along the lines of a variable zoom telescope than what most would consider a lens.

The fixed aperture can be a challenge, but is workable. I have an Orion Maksutov Cassegrain with a fixed 1250mm at f/13 and I've posted several photos here that I shot with it. It can be done and you just need to think a bit more than you would with a more modern lens design.