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Post by timothyu on Mar 17, 2018 1:48:41 GMT -5
Well a guy has to keep some secrets. lol
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goldie
All Star Member
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Post by goldie on Mar 17, 2018 6:49:39 GMT -5
Exactly. I caught flak at our former abode by a few who complained they could not copy and use my images. Tough. That's the point! I only have a few of my photos digitized and they aren't watermarked, which is why I haven't posted them anywhere yet. I haven't done any digital photo editing yet. Do you have to have PhotoShop in order to water mark? Or, what do you use? Actually I haven't made the digital leap yet at all, and as a result haven't done any photo work in a long time. Last year a friend sent me a DSLR she wasn't using, but I haven't tried to learn to use it yet. Actually, I'm thinking of taking it (an entry level Nikon) and an armful of film Nikons into my local photo store and see if I can trade them all in for a little bit newer and better model DSLR. Does anybody know which brand(s) might be better for shooting in low light? |
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RNorm
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Post by RNorm on Mar 17, 2018 9:56:08 GMT -5
All cameras function the same, so brand name is generally a personal preference. Its primarily the lens coupled with the camera's sensor that allows one to capture good pics in low light; i.e., the lower F-stop of the lens, the more light to the sensor and the better quality of picture in low light. Thus, in general, an entry level Nikon with an excellent lens (say 1.8) will take as good a picture with a higher end Nikon with a lesser quality lens (say 3.5).
I would recommend getting a Nikon Field Guide for your Nikon and learn about what the camera can and cannot do and then go out and start shooting. There is no quick, easy way to become a good photographer, other than actually taking photos and learning and growing from the photos you take...
My 2 cents...
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Post by timothyu on Mar 17, 2018 12:55:25 GMT -5
Agreed Rnorm, and get used to using the aperture, shutter speed or manual settings on your entry level camera before moving up. In that way you will know better for yourself what features you really need in a new camera and whether you want to go mirrored or mirrorless.
As a Canon user the best all round common use low light standard lens is what is called the nifty fifty mm. I'm sure there is an equivalent in Nikon or whatever. The longer the lens, the less light at the wide open settings
Also, no need to put out big money on a photo processing software. Darktable is a free open source downloadable program equivalent to Lightroom and will be more than adequate as you learn.
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goldie
All Star Member
Posts: 19,866
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Post by goldie on Mar 17, 2018 17:09:14 GMT -5
Thanks. Doesn't the quality of the sensor, how sensitive it is, matter? Or are they all made by the same company and put in different brand cameras? But even then they could have different quality levels. I have heard that Canon might be better in low light conditions, but not sure if that was from a reliable source. I've also read some things I don't exactly recall about cameras made by an electronics company, perhaps a joint venture with a camera or optics company. I think it was about Panasonic, but don't recall for sure.
I know that the full frame models have larger sensors and would therefor produce better quality images, but I can't afford one of those nor would I be inclined to lug one around given my present physical condition. Too bad b/c I always used to shoot full-frame and cropped in the camera. I also always used my cameras on manual, and never really learned to use the automatic model that my dad bought. He had too much short term memory loss by then. I just hope I don't. Hope I haven't forgotten what I used to know, or that it's like what they say about riding a bike: that it comes back.
Is photo processing/editing software usable across platforms? ie I have an iMac, not a PC. I used to do my own black and white processing (developing and printing) in wet darkrooms, but have never done any digitally. Well, years ago I took a beginning PhotoShop course, but I didn't have the software so it didn't really sink in. When I started shooting some color, I used high quality photo labs, not the corner drug store.
Is it ok to use this forum for discussing photography, or should there be another forum for that?
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Post by timothyu on Mar 17, 2018 17:52:11 GMT -5
IMO ... Yes the quality of the sensor is the most important. But sensors can be deceiving as some of the crop sensors are better than the full sized (35mm). The MB size in comparison is rather irrelevant on anything over 12 mb UNLESS your plan is to make 3'x4' actual prints. Most people view on a computer where sensor resolution matters little. .... I forgot to add... the entry level pro cameras at around $7-800 range for the most part use the same sensor as the $2000 cameras. Bells and whistles. And unless you are going pro of some sort, is it worth going beyond your needs especially to the $5000 bodies let alone $2000?
Yes the Canon has an edge over Nikon regarding noise but the new Sonys are outdoing both.
As far as riding your camera goes, if you shoot RAW rather than jpeg format you have about 5-10 exposures either way to play with in post production. Most digital cameras function best on aperture mode to get the clearest image, the proverbial sweet spot, as the iso and speed will adjust itself. In talking about noise a good tripod goes a long way to use settings properly in low light.
Yes, the mentioned Darktable can be used PC, Mac or Linux. Lightromm (photoshop for images only) is for Mac and PC. These are the two most often used. Once you create yourself a workflow using either is quite simple and rewarding.
I guess this is a thank you thread but so far we've gone three different directions,. Life is good.  Start a new thread if you wish.
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RNorm
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Post by RNorm on Mar 17, 2018 18:31:05 GMT -5
Yes, it matters; that's why some cameras cost more than others...Moreover, Sony makes sensors for many brands, including Nikon, but saves the best for their own cameras (LOL, no surprise there). I believe that Canon also makes its own sensors, as well. That's where a field guide would be very helpful in learning about the Nikon body that you already have. Most good software have both a Mac and PC version. Image editing software is like camera bodies; i.e., its a personal preference. When I first started out, I hated post processing because it took too long, so I was using the quickest and easiest software I could find; i.e., Google's Picasa. But over time, as I got better at taking pictures, I kept remembering something one of my photo buds told me: that I needed to stop being so lazy and get serious about processing. So I bought a copy of Lightroom and started to put in the time and learning the ins and outs of workflow processing. Unfortunately, Lightroom is now a part of Adobe's cloud computing (even after promising that Lightroom would always be standalone) and I refuse to pay them monthly for software I already own. And since I don't plan on getting any new bodies soon, I'm good with the last standalone version, Lightroom 6. I'm pretty sure you've come to the right place...  |
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Post by lorando (NW PA) on Mar 18, 2018 13:03:04 GMT -5
Interesting discussion about watermarks, timothyu and RNorm. From someone who is still learning, it sure would be helpful if posted
photographs included the focal length, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc. I'm trying to stay out of auto mode, so I won't use it as a crutch
when I have a bit more experience. Looking forward to seeing this site grow.
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Post by timothyu on Mar 18, 2018 14:17:41 GMT -5
That is a good plan Loranda but in a pinch where time is of the essence, auto can be a life saver. Also a good starting point to check the camera's idea of a good setting and adapt accordingly for sharpness or movement.
You will notice that for most taking a good picture is important but a few also know taking a good photograph requires more time.
As for watermarking, (remember when studio photos said 'Proof") although it may detract from the image, what I am saying is that as this is not a site to sell or self promote images but instead for some here (beyond the usual chat) to show or seek critique, having that in mind, I don't think anyone here would mind a watermark across the image or the addition of a © with the image, to protect your property. We can set copyright standards on our own sites but I doubt GBO will offer any protection otherwise. Just a suggestion for those who have a vested interest in their work out here in the wild west of public forums. lol
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Post by picturefreak on Mar 18, 2018 14:20:47 GMT -5
lens quality is equally as important as sensor quality.
The DSLRs tend to have nice sensors - main thing is that it's less "noisy" than camera phones, etc. With less noise, one can bump up the amplifiers and thus have a higher ISO rating - and then be much better in low light areas.
Having a lens with a larger aperture is also helpful but it's not the aperture that makes the difference. It's the glass in the lens that needs to couple with the larger aperture that makes the difference. That's why these lenses are huge and thus costly.
So much to consider, my Nikon's kit lens only stops down to F/3.5 yet does well in low light due to having a lower noise sensor that starts showing noticeable noise at ISO3200. Compared to my other bridge camera that stops down to F/1.8, but its noise and hot pixels at ISO400 makes really distracting pictures.
A tripod is invaluable for low light as well as a steady hand. Sometimes you're forced to use impossible to use shutter speeds to compensate for lack of ISO range. Knowing your camera and how to control it is quite important too, even over the raw capabilities of the camera - it's possible to trick a cheap P&S camera to do some trick shots if you know how to control it.
I don't watermark my pictures, alas I only post crops, downsized, and compression-stained pictures. I tend to even disavow these photos by removing metadata. I do keep the "originals" as proof I took the shot if it comes down to it. Alas, I'm not a real photographer...
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dmr
Champion Member
Somewhere in Middle America
Posts: 2,222 
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Post by dmr on Mar 18, 2018 16:16:59 GMT -5
Does anybody know which brand(s) might be better for shooting in low light? For film, I love the low-light performance of the lowly Canon GIII rangefinder as the lens performs well wide or close to wide open and there's no **SLAP** of the mirror. I have two of these, and one I re-calibrated to meter properly with ISO 1600 film. I find I can almost always successfully hand-hold at 1/60, usually at 1/30, and often at 1/15 with it. As for digital, I like the low-light performance of the Canon 5DSR, as it has a full-frame sensor that's very resistant to digital noise. It actually performs quite well at ISO 12800 and with an IS lens you can successfully hand-hold down to 1/15 most of the time. |
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RNorm
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Post by RNorm on Mar 18, 2018 21:35:27 GMT -5
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Post by timothyu on Mar 19, 2018 17:30:28 GMT -5
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dmr
Champion Member
Somewhere in Middle America
Posts: 2,222
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Post by dmr on Mar 20, 2018 5:30:05 GMT -5
That's a shade you can HEAR! |
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Post by timothyu on Mar 20, 2018 12:32:45 GMT -5
Yes, it was also so loud in the 60's you can still hear the echo
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Start a new thread if you wish.
