Advice please
First I would concentrate on sorting out some static subjects to get to grips with the camera. Set the AF on centre focus only, and use a half press on the shutter release to focus and lock focus and exposure. then reframe and complete the shutter release to take the picture.
Setting the camera on ISO400 will help action shots. Try also to come away from the green setting and get to understand the three factors that control exposure - aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Books will help as will this forum.
Read a lot, do the tutorials in magazines and ask questions. Perhaps join a camera club. A course may be helpful.
Hope that helps!
Also, since you're using the K-x, you may want to try using higher ISO settings. I'll be more adventurous than John Riley and recommend that you try playing with ISO 1600 even! Well, it's just that my wife (pink K-x user!) has been able to get a lot of good snaps using it with 1600 and sometimes even 3200.
Of course, if you are unhappy with the noise (those dots) try lowering the ISO. Some people actually like the noise of these newer CMOS sensors.
Hope you find this helpful!
A basic class can help; on the other hand:
>> There is sooooo much info available on the web (the tutorial section on cambridge in colour is one that comes to mind) to learn the basics of photography.
>> And the local library will probably have some books about photography; the theory on exposure in even the oldest books will still be relevant (I have books from the 80s).
Good luck and enjoy
Pentax K100D + DA18-55ALII + DA55-300
Pentax K5 + FA31Ltd + M50/1.7 + DFA100WR + M120/2.8 (+ DA18-55WR at occasion)
Do the night class, even a basic entry level course will teach you a lot you dont know.
I agree. I'm doing one now and it's amazing the bits and pieces of info. you pick up.
https://pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/barrieforbes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189482630@N03/
Do the night class, even a basic entry level course will teach you a lot you dont know.
I agree. You can learn lots and it will give you drive to experiment. I am slightly biased as I run courses. But I am also sure that you will learn as much from the group as from the course leader. I learn from my students all the time, we always have room to improve, and its always fun trying. The early days are the best for learning and improvement.
Some good tips around this site too. Just have fun and get clicking!
“We must avoid however, snapping away, shooting quickly and without thought, overloading ourselves with unnecessary images that clutter our memory and diminish the clarity of the whole.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson -
Try using Av mode with manual ISO. Set ISO to 800 or 1600 as a starting point and the largest aperture (smallest number) the lens will support, and see what shutter speed you get. With a 200mm lens you really need to get it up around the 1/250 mark to avoid shake and freeze action fairly well.
The K-x does suffer a bit from only having one control wheel, which makes it a bit of a handful in M (to the extent that I only use M on my similar K-m for flash photography). Av gives you control over aperture, ISO and white balance, which are the main things affecting how your photos turn out.
In general higher ISOs will produce more noise in images - the K-x was a big step forward here but it's still a case of the lower the better.
The selected aperture not only controls how much light reaches the sensor, but also the depth of field - how much closer to you or further away from you than the subject remains in focus. Try finding a brick wall, tiles, or anything else with a repeating pattern and taking photos of it at various apertures. You should be able to pick this up pretty rapidly with a bit of experimentation.
Most importantly have a play. It costs nothing to try and see what works with digital. Look for photos online of Speedway racing and see if they have Exif data (which shows what settings the photographer used), most photo sharing sites include this.
Shooting the Welsh Wilderness with K-m, KX, MX, ME Super and assorted lenses.
I have bought Scott Kelbys "Digital Photgraphy Boxed Set" which on a quick glance gives a good many ideas.
Have also put a couple of photos in the gallery (sport section) which I think came out ok.
Once again many thanks and I will no doubt be back with more questions.
My advice:
With a 200mm lens you really need to get it up around the 1/250 mark to avoid shake and freeze action fairly well.
Matt - that may be fine for a virtually static or very slow moving subject but obviously the speed of the movement of a subject will affect the shutter speed required to freeze the action. That's too slow for children. Usually 1/640 - 1/800 is needed and of course much faster than that with some subjects.
Nikon. D800. D600. Sigma 500/4.5, Nikon 300/2.8 VRII, Sigma 120-300/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 21/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 35/2.0, Sigma 50/1.4, Nikkor 85/1.8, Nikon TC20EIII, Nikon TC14EII, Kenko x1.4, Sigma 2.0
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13 years
Leicester