D40 users come in!

[xiaoxian]

Just shot this with A mode... Cant seem to get the nose clear as well... coz its like less than 1 sec for me to get this shot... any ideas how i can get the nose clear as well?

Sports mode, wil try it out when i take her out later... hee

 

[chanjyj]

Walao eh XiaoXian.. I teach ou so much ou still cannot get it ah... =.= I must b e a damn lousy teacher

I already told you it's not the mode you use.. it's the combination of ISO, shutter and aperture! :dunno:

And the slow-sync flash I demo to you that day at millenia was in a relatively bright place. So.. you only needed to stay still for 1 sec. If it's very dark, then you have to stand still as long as the shutter is open... you cannot walk off halfway ;p

Aiyah. crap lah! ask you go out with me then I live demo lah.. explain in words (unless you are professor saxon ;p) is beyond me

oh btw everyone.. don't ask me for tuition.. she was special case ;p

 

[feizhu]

Hi guys, is there any 3rd party macro lens thats compatible with the D40?

 

[chanjyj]

Hi guys, is there any 3rd party macro lens thats compatible with the D40?

Sigma 18-50mm HSM is called "macro". Macro or not, I dunno.

 

[psychobiologist]

hmm... all the while, I have been using P mode, and Only P mode... shucks... what mode would u recommend to shoot dogs that move constantly? I have no choice but to use ISO 1600, coz ISO800, too slow for me... what kind of settings should I have let's say shooting in the bright sun abt 2pm in the afternoon?

And if I am taking dog portrait pictures, how to get the "bokeh" effect with the kit lens? i was able to do it with the telephoto lens, but not my kit lens...

And... I tried shooting night landscapes with a tripod, using the self timer, and slow sync flash, I ended up transparent... Is there anyway to rectify this? which flash mode shld i be using? I was also using SB400 for the 1st time... Unsure how to coordinate the 2...

total noob questions, mai scold me hor....

hee.. Thanks in advance for ur advice! and By the way, ur nikon bag is really nice for me! thanks!!

Aperture, and your distance from the Subject Determines the Depth of Field, and on a wide angle lens, you will have a larger depth of field, as compared to using a telephoto lense at the same aperture.

Look at the following Setting, lets say you are 2 meters away from something you want to shoot

At 24mm at Aperture F4, distance of 2 metres, your depth of field is 1.18metres, that means your subject must be within this depth. The nearest object that will be in focus at this aperture and this distance, will be 1.6 metres, and your background must be more than 2.8 metres away from you, or more than 80 cm behind your subject to be out of focus, and thus blur.

At 55mm, Aperture F4, distance of 2m again, depth of field is lesser, at 20cm. Background is easily blur
At 100mm F4, distance of 2m again, depth of field is now even lesser, at 6cm. Thus your subject front will be in focus, but background will be all blur.

Thus at this point to note, is that depending on how you frame your subject, and how far/how near you are to the subject, and the longer the focal length you use, the thinner the depth of field at a given aperture, thus giving better Bokeh/background blur.

Increasing the Aperture Value, i.e. from F4, to F5.6 to F8, you get more and more depth of field,

Example - 55mm 2metre F4 - 20 cm depth of field
55mm 2 metres F5.6 - 29cm depth of field
55mm 2 metres F8 - 41 cm depth of field



Now we have established that aperture determines the amount of depth of field, we have to look at the interplay between the two other forces for a correct exposure, that is the shutter speed, and ISO. its a proportion.

Say now i m using a lens at 55mm, and i am using aperture F4, on ISO 100, shutter speed 1/50 i get a good exposure.

lets say F4 is not giving me enough of a depth of field, like your case, the dog nose not in focus, you have to use a smaller aperture, i.e. F8 for example.. cuz your dog facing you, nose is pointing towards you and is long. So look carefully at the proportion below

All these Settings will give you the same Exposure
Aperture ISO Shutter Speed
F4 ISO 100 1/50s
F5.6 ISO 100 1/25s
F5.6 ISO 200 1/50s
F5.6 ISO 400 1/100s
F5.6 ISO 800 1/200s
F8 ISO 800 1/100s
F8 ISO 400 1/50s


i hope you see the proportion here.
so based on the Aperture you need, and the shutter speed you need, i.e. to stop a moving object, you have to adjust the ISO to achieve the proportions.

 

[chanjyj]

wow... psycho.. you become her teacher ok? ;p

You summarise in 3 paragraphs what I have tried to say in 3 weeks :what:

 

[cichlid]

Hi guys, is there any 3rd party macro lens thats compatible with the D40?

If using the D40 and thinking of 3rd party, only Sigma has what you want. But I'm not sure if they got dedicated HSM macro lens, like dont have leh

edit: have HSM macro lens 180mm, see the list of Sigma lenses here

http://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/lenses_chart.asp

 

[geraldkhoo]

Aperture, and your distance from the Subject Determines the Depth of Field, and on a wide angle lens, you will have a larger depth of field, as compared to using a telephoto lense at the same aperture.

Look at the following Setting, lets say you are 2 meters away from something you want to shoot

At 24mm at Aperture F4, distance of 2 metres, your depth of field is 1.18metres, that means your subject must be within this depth. The nearest object that will be in focus at this aperture and this distance, will be 1.6 metres, and your background must be more than 2.8 metres away from you, or more than 80 cm behind your subject to be out of focus, and thus blur.

At 55mm, Aperture F4, distance of 2m again, depth of field is lesser, at 20cm. Background is easily blur
At 100mm F4, distance of 2m again, depth of field is now even lesser, at 6cm. Thus your subject front will be in focus, but background will be all blur.

Thus at this point to note, is that depending on how you frame your subject, and how far/how near you are to the subject, and the longer the focal length you use, the thinner the depth of field at a given aperture, thus giving better Bokeh/background blur.

Increasing the Aperture Value, i.e. from F4, to F5.6 to F8, you get more and more depth of field,

Example - 55mm 2metre F4 - 20 cm depth of field
55mm 2 metres F5.6 - 29cm depth of field
55mm 2 metres F8 - 41 cm depth of field

Now we have established that aperture determines the amount of depth of field, we have to look at the interplay between the two other forces for a correct exposure, that is the shutter speed, and ISO. its a proportion.

Say now i m using a lens at 55mm, and i am using aperture F4, on ISO 100, shutter speed 1/50 i get a good exposure.

lets say F4 is not giving me enough of a depth of field, like your case, the dog nose not in focus, you have to use a smaller aperture, i.e. F8 for example.. cuz your dog facing you, nose is pointing towards you and is long. So look carefully at the proportion below

All these Settings will give you the same Exposure
Aperture ISO Shutter Speed
F4 ISO 100 1/50s
F5.6 ISO 100 1/25s
F5.6 ISO 200 1/50s
F5.6 ISO 400 1/100s
F5.6 ISO 800 1/200s
F8 ISO 800 1/100s
F8 ISO 400 1/50s

i hope you see the proportion here.
so based on the Aperture you need, and the shutter speed you need, i.e. to stop a moving object, you have to adjust the ISO to achieve the proportions.

Wow! This is good stuff!

 

[Jagdeep]

Been using the D40 + SB600 since March and still cant get the hang of it.
I just can't eem to get good pictures in full auto mode.

Just got the a Stein Zeiser (?) UV filter .... ? cant find anythignabout it on the internet.

I will need another lens for more zoom power.
Should I get one of the extender lenses like the Hi-V or get a proper Nikon lens for the camera

Jag

ps
need to sell off my F65 + extra lens .... any takers ?

 

[dscans]

Been using the D40 + SB600 since March and still cant get the hang of it.
I just can't eem to get good pictures in full auto mode.

I will need another lens for more zoom power.
Should I get one of the extender lenses like the Hi-V or get a proper Nikon lens for the camera

The Nikon flash system is excellent, and it takes very little effort to get good results. This particular shot was shot at Program mode with auto fill in flash with the SB600.

 

[cichlid]

wow, very sharp and nice, did you bounce or diffuse the flash?

 

[cichlid]

Wow! This is good stuff!

ya its so good, i copied it and saved it on my hp, hope physchobiologist dont mind ;p

 

[bent]

qn: which is better to protect the lens? The nikon lens cap or a UV filter?

 

[blackandwhite]

qn: which is better to protect the lens? The nikon lens cap or a UV filter?

both. you need the filter while shooting and cap while storing.

 

[chanjyj]

both. you need the filter while shooting and cap while storing.

You don't need the UV filter. I used UV filters only when there was rain.

 

[lukesky]

both. you need the filter while shooting and cap while storing.

I concur.

 

[chanjyj]

I concur.

why a need for UV filter when shooting? :dunno:

 

[evopilot]

just bought this evening

one quick question though, is there an initial charging time for the battery, like 8 or 10 hours? :dunno:

 

[Six-GHz]

why a need for UV filter when shooting? :dunno:

Yeah, this guy believes in going commando-style!
But it's up to individual... I prefer to have a UV filter.

just bought this evening
one quick question though, is there an initial charging time for the battery, like 8 or 10 hours? :dunno:

Until it doesn't blink anymore and you're good to go!

 

[blackandwhite]

why a need for UV filter when shooting? :dunno:

i prefer to wipe my filter than my glass. but again, it's up to individual's usage pattern.