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I hope that's the start of a long and beautiful relationship, Tracey.
You're clearly testing some of the camera's limits with this shot - very high ISO, and I'm guessing it may have been hand-held, so pushing the image stabilisation to the edge, as well.
My only immediate suggestion is that with a large white area in the image, a little positive exposure compensation (in any auto mode) or a slight increase in exposure (if you were shooting in manual) would brighten the image in a realistic way.
You're clearly testing some of the camera's limits with this shot - very high ISO, and I'm guessing it may have been hand-held, so pushing the image stabilisation to the edge, as well.
My only immediate suggestion is that with a large white area in the image, a little positive exposure compensation (in any auto mode) or a slight increase in exposure (if you were shooting in manual) would brighten the image in a realistic way.
To get the rose sharp, you either need to stop down the lens (which will give a greater front-to-back area of sharpness), or move the focus point for the AF mechanism onto the rose itself.
Composition is vital, but getting the right things to look the way that you want them requires that you master the camera's controls. It's a mistake to blaze away in shooting then try to fix everything in editing: when you understand all the controls, you can make almost everything happen as you take the picture.
Composition is vital, but getting the right things to look the way that you want them requires that you master the camera's controls. It's a mistake to blaze away in shooting then try to fix everything in editing: when you understand all the controls, you can make almost everything happen as you take the picture.
Don’t know how to do that yet. The camera is a mystery 🤔 there is an af button so would I turn the top dial out of autom mode into something else? What do u recommend for taking fire shots? There is a festival of fire on the Liverpool waterfront for the next two weekends and I may get some shots. It would be of a guy creating a circle of fire basically then general street/skateboard scenes
Hi again, Tracey.
Changing the AF settings needs a dive into either the menus, or a quick-access menu. I don't know the camera, so I can't advise you in detail, but it definitely isn't controlled by the mode dial on the top of the camera (the one with A, S, M, P and various other things on it).
If you know anyone who is more experienced, and uses Nikon, talk to them. Possibly try YouTube, but beware, as there's more sharp presentation than real information in there, I sometimes think.
A really good investment would be Henry Carroll's book, Read This if You Want to Take Great Photographs. I really wish I'd had the idea before he did, because it's cheap, accessible, and helpful. In the absence of having learnt more before you take the fire images, set the camera to the green camera mode that you can see in THIS picture.
Looking at John Riley's review, it seems to be a really excellent camera. I think you've done very well indeed if this has replaced a consumer-grade DSLR. Worth the wait! If you've mistyped, and it's a Z50 that you've got, it's still a mighty fine piece of camera, and wil lsee you through several years of development as a photographer..
Changing the AF settings needs a dive into either the menus, or a quick-access menu. I don't know the camera, so I can't advise you in detail, but it definitely isn't controlled by the mode dial on the top of the camera (the one with A, S, M, P and various other things on it).
If you know anyone who is more experienced, and uses Nikon, talk to them. Possibly try YouTube, but beware, as there's more sharp presentation than real information in there, I sometimes think.
A really good investment would be Henry Carroll's book, Read This if You Want to Take Great Photographs. I really wish I'd had the idea before he did, because it's cheap, accessible, and helpful. In the absence of having learnt more before you take the fire images, set the camera to the green camera mode that you can see in THIS picture.
Looking at John Riley's review, it seems to be a really excellent camera. I think you've done very well indeed if this has replaced a consumer-grade DSLR. Worth the wait! If you've mistyped, and it's a Z50 that you've got, it's still a mighty fine piece of camera, and wil lsee you through several years of development as a photographer..
That’s great. Will ask at my camera club later and look into that book. Bit worried about pressing the wrong buttons as I pressed af-on yesterday to attempt the shot again but seemed to make the camera go all technical and I panicked and pressed button again but this didn’t revert it back. I think I will study it first and we have a practical night on 16 feb so can maybe get a couple of settings put in for landscape and portrait so it’s easier until I understand more. Will look into that book. Thanks
Tried that and took the battery out too. Think it’s back to normal now. I have the digital photography handbook too. I think it would be good for me to set up a seascapes sunset setting and a street photography and portrait photography setting so I can just alternate between the three but probably need indoor portrait/street as well as outdoor as would like to take some shots in bars etc too
Happy New Camera, and congratulations on finally getting there!
My advice - don't panic over settings, over trying to learn everything at once. But do look for conditions that will help you - the main thing that jumps out from the Exif here is that the light was truly dreadful.
I suggest that you try this again. Look for gentle but effective light, maybe near to a window. Set to A - Aperture priority, try f/6.3 as used here. Find the ISO control and set to say 400 (the ISO button is next to the on/off), or alternatively to automatic ISO. Then focus carefully on a rose and check what shutter speed the camera is giving you - it will be in the read-out at the bottom of the viewfinder. This lens has VR, but for hand-holding I would aim to stick within the scale of 1/25 to 1/50 second according to the focal length used, or preferably faster.
You should be able to move AF points around using the arrows on the big multi-selector button.
Make sure that you are not trying to focus too close for the lens - I think that may have happened here, the focus is on the background sheet music not on the rose. Try moving back a bit, you will get greater depth of field. Take the shot carefully, focusing on the rose, using the viewfinder to compose, not the screen, and bracing yourself steadily.
You can then compare the result with this. Try smaller apertures - higher F numbers - and again compare. Be prepared to bump the ISO up higher - but not as high as used here!
You have used Nikon before, I think you will find settings quite easily in time - looking at a diagram of the Z5 it looks reassuringly familiar!
For the fire festival, go to S - shutter speed priority - and for the circle of fire, be prepared to experiment with different speeds to get the effect that you want. For skateboarding you will need a fast speed to freeze movement, I would want 1/500 second or faster.
And enjoy!!!
Moira
My advice - don't panic over settings, over trying to learn everything at once. But do look for conditions that will help you - the main thing that jumps out from the Exif here is that the light was truly dreadful.
I suggest that you try this again. Look for gentle but effective light, maybe near to a window. Set to A - Aperture priority, try f/6.3 as used here. Find the ISO control and set to say 400 (the ISO button is next to the on/off), or alternatively to automatic ISO. Then focus carefully on a rose and check what shutter speed the camera is giving you - it will be in the read-out at the bottom of the viewfinder. This lens has VR, but for hand-holding I would aim to stick within the scale of 1/25 to 1/50 second according to the focal length used, or preferably faster.
You should be able to move AF points around using the arrows on the big multi-selector button.
Make sure that you are not trying to focus too close for the lens - I think that may have happened here, the focus is on the background sheet music not on the rose. Try moving back a bit, you will get greater depth of field. Take the shot carefully, focusing on the rose, using the viewfinder to compose, not the screen, and bracing yourself steadily.
You can then compare the result with this. Try smaller apertures - higher F numbers - and again compare. Be prepared to bump the ISO up higher - but not as high as used here!
You have used Nikon before, I think you will find settings quite easily in time - looking at a diagram of the Z5 it looks reassuringly familiar!
For the fire festival, go to S - shutter speed priority - and for the circle of fire, be prepared to experiment with different speeds to get the effect that you want. For skateboarding you will need a fast speed to freeze movement, I would want 1/500 second or faster.
And enjoy!!!
Moira
Coming back to the focus question: autofocus settings are separate from modes. There's a page in the manual here that lists the various options:
https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z5/en/05_basic_settings_01.html#focus
For images such as this and your seashells, stick to AF-S (which is probably the camera's factory setting). For the skate-boarders, you could experiment with AF-C, but it takes a bit of getting used to - and always remember to change back afterwards!
https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z5/en/05_basic_settings_01.html#focus
For images such as this and your seashells, stick to AF-S (which is probably the camera's factory setting). For the skate-boarders, you could experiment with AF-C, but it takes a bit of getting used to - and always remember to change back afterwards!
My camera photos look awful compared to my iPhone ones so will just keep practising. I love low angle beach shots and was practising slow shutter speed for the sea the other day but my camera was getting bits of sand on it even though there was no wind 🤔 We have a practical evening this week at my photography club and have local students coming in so see how that goes 😬 I had to delete all my skateboard ones as the skateboard looked too far away (I used 24 mm, 35 mm and 70 mm zoom ☹️ but seemed to get shutter speed correct
Hi again -
It takes a bit of time to get used to a different camera or device. Give yourself time, and it'll come right if you keep working away at it.
Can I suggest an approach? You want to use the camera well, so start by shooting easy subjects, then move onto more difficult things later. Shoot static subjects in good light first.
And don't delete stuff! learn from it, rather than getting rid of it because it's not working. Even, perhaps, post a shot in the Critique Gallery, saying what you think is wrong, and asking for suggestions.
The secret, whatever you shoot with, is to fill the frame. Get close! That makes moving skateboards a real challenge, as you will be dangerously close if they are going fast, or changing direction!
It takes a bit of time to get used to a different camera or device. Give yourself time, and it'll come right if you keep working away at it.
Can I suggest an approach? You want to use the camera well, so start by shooting easy subjects, then move onto more difficult things later. Shoot static subjects in good light first.
And don't delete stuff! learn from it, rather than getting rid of it because it's not working. Even, perhaps, post a shot in the Critique Gallery, saying what you think is wrong, and asking for suggestions.
The secret, whatever you shoot with, is to fill the frame. Get close! That makes moving skateboards a real challenge, as you will be dangerously close if they are going fast, or changing direction!
