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Advice please

djp
Posted 06/02/2011 - 20:38 Link
Hi I purchased a k-x last november(camera + 18-55 + 50-200 for £399) and have not had a real play around with it yet but did take some pictures of my grandson at practice on his speedway bike.This was the first time I used the camera and a few pics turned out ok but few a bit dark and grainy.What is the secret of taking photos of moving objects.I have also thought of taking a day course in digital camera photography do you think that it worth doing this ? Many thanks .Dave
johnriley
Posted 06/02/2011 - 20:48 Link
You've got athe kit with the potential to tackle most subjects well, but it does need practice. Moving subjects are difficult and it's all about timimg and technique.

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!
Best regards, John
Opethian
Posted 06/02/2011 - 21:00 Link
One of the best tips I can give is to pre-focus the subject. Try to make it a habit to always "half-press" the shutter button so that you have the least amount of time to get the shot.

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!
sterretje
Posted 07/02/2011 - 07:31 Link
I guess you're using auto-ISO. Personally I would get out of auto-ISO (just set it to a fixed value and vary the value according to needs). Auto-ISO is probably the main reason why some of your pics come out grainy as the camera has decided to use a very high ISO.

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
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Edited by sterretje: 07/02/2011 - 07:32
fatspider
Posted 07/02/2011 - 10:28 Link
Do the night class, even a basic entry level course will teach you a lot you dont know.
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bforbes
Posted 07/02/2011 - 11:00 Link
fatspider wrote:
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.
VonBatCat
Posted 07/02/2011 - 11:47 Link
fatspider wrote:
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!
John (VonBatCat)

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gartmore
Posted 07/02/2011 - 13:20 Link
I know this is too short notice and a fair way from you but this sort of thing is worth looking out for: link
Ken
“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 -
Dangermouse
Posted 07/02/2011 - 16:07 Link
My advice:

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.
Matt

Shooting the Welsh Wilderness with K-m, KX, MX, ME Super and assorted lenses.
djp
Posted 07/02/2011 - 20:14 Link
Many thanks for aall the replies and I will certainly try the recommendations you have given.

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.
Frogfish
Posted 07/02/2011 - 21:38 Link
Dangermouse wrote:
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.
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Edited by Frogfish: 07/02/2011 - 21:38

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