Aperture

Sisitecandy · Feb 23, 2017

For the first message, I was refering to the lens but screwed up, my bad.
How about I get the Canon 1200D dslr. I heard it's good camera to begin with since I don't know nothing about the settings. The standard lens has 18-55 mm and an aperture of 3.5-5.6. Will it be able to get good portraits with a blurry background ?

dasmith232 said:
A DSLR camera is like a toolbox. It *can* hold lots of tools, and way more than a Swiss-Army knife. But when you first get the toolbox, it doesn't actually have many tools in it. It's just a few starter tools. In other words, a kit lens. But it will hold many tools, and much more powerful tools than the Swiss Army knife could ever do.

The thing is, I don't even have a great ''Swiss-Army knife''. So getting a ''tool box'' may be more efficient.

table1349 · Feb 23, 2017

Designer said:
Light Guru said:

gryphonslair99 said:

DSLR's don't have apertures. Lenses have apertures.

Click to expand...

^^^THAT^^^

Surprised the first response didn't say anything about that!!

Click to expand...

Ahh.. but the second one did! We have to go slow with newbies.

Not really. The second one just said that when you take off one lens the body would use the different lens you put on it. That is true but it did not state that cameras don't have aperture. Sometime we have to go slow with oldies as well. :allteeth:

Designer · Feb 23, 2017

Sisitecandy said:
The standard lens has 18-55 mm and an aperture of 3.5-5.6. Will it be able to get good portraits with a blurry background ?

This lens is a good all-round lens which is very useful for the average kind of photography. It is not, however, the best at portraiture, as you have already guessed. When you get it, try it out at the longest focal length, 55mm, with your model about ten feet away, and the background more like 30 feet away. Then, with the widest aperture you can get, f/5.6, there might be a little background blurring, but not quite like you are hoping for.

You will want to get a second lens for your camera that has a focal length of more like 100mm (or more), and an aperture of f/2.8 if you can. Then you can "portrait" your little heart out.

Sisitecandy · Feb 23, 2017

Here is a picture of a girl in my class. We are not actually freinds this is why I dont want to ask her what camera she uses. Of course, I hid her face. But will I be able to get this type of picture with the Canon 1200D and the lens I mentionned ?

Edit: Picture removed.

table1349 · Feb 23, 2017

Sisitecandy said:
Here is a picture of a girl in my class. We are not actually freinds this is why I dont want to ask her what camera she uses. Of course, I hid her face. But will I be able to get this type of picture with the Canon 1200D and the lens I mentionned?

Edit: Picture removed.

That all depends on you not the camera. The camera is just a tool. It is the skill of the photographer in knowing how to use the tools, not the tools themselves that allows the photographer to achieve the images they want.

Just like a great mathematician isn't great because of the calculator the own, neither is the photographer good because of their camera. It is a skill to be learned, taking time, dedication, and hard work.

dasmith232 · Feb 23, 2017

So, you're concluding that the lens is more important than the body for how a portrait looks. And you're absolutely right. Even more than the lens, lighting will make a huge difference in how a portrait looks than the lens (alone).

Yes, the 18-55 can be used to make nice portraits.

To do that, you'd first find nice light. This can be a room with only one window that's away from the sun. If you're in the north hemisphere, then it would be a north window. Opposite if you're south. Then with the subject at the window but facing sideways, you'd shoot parallel to the wall. This works better if the space behind the person is empty.

Next, you'd pull out your phone and use the camera app to take a picture. Get pretty close to the person and ... viola! You'll have a nice picture. Oh, but wait! That isn't with the 18-55 lens. It's the smartphone. This will demonstrate the importance of understanding light.

Now, if you do get a camera with an 18-55mm lens, you'd pretty much do the same thing. Same person, same room. You'd zoom in to 55mm and get as close to the subject as the lens will allow. Then you'd back away just a bit so you're not right at the focus limit, resulting in out-of-focus images from being too close and outside the limits of the lens.

Click and you've got it.

There are plenty of additional settings including the aperture selected and which mode to use and so on. That comes next. The key thing is that lighting is essential. Better optics and a larger sensor (even with a "kit" setup) is next.

Regarding Canon vs. Nikon vs. Sony vs. whatever, they all take good pictures. My personal recommendation to you is find out what brand is closest to you in terms of friends or (even better) family.

There are many thousands of DSLR or similar camera systems that have been sold that sit on a shelf. It looks like you're young and probably have parents, uncles, aunts or maybe even older siblings that could have gone down this path. When you show an interest, that person will likely want to talk about photography and equipment. You'll then be able to get first-hand experience with that system. The one that you learn first has a good chance of the one that you'll want long-term.

Whether or not that happens, you should also find somewhere that has a few choices (like a camera store) and try out the different models. Don't buy anything on your first visit. Say that you're "just looking". Many smaller stores will even let you take the camera outside as long as you leave a license or credit card or family member as collateral. Then go back later.

Also, there's a chance that if an unused camera is within the family, you might be able to borrow it for an extended period. My dad had a brand-new Minolta XG-7 that went unused and it pretty much became my first SLR camera that saw plenty of action. Sweet!

Not that the Minolta is a good choice for you. You probably couldn't find one nor even want one. It's older than most people here. Except maybe Derrel. :1398:

(I'm kidding Derrel!)

dasmith232 · Feb 23, 2017

Sisitecandy said:
...will I be able to get this type of picture with the Canon 1200D and the lens I mentioned?...

Yeah, definitely. Like Gryphonslair said, you'd have to know how to use it. But that would not be a difficult image to capture with that kind of camera.

photo1x1.com · Feb 23, 2017

Sisitecandy said:
Here is a picture of a girl in my class. We are not actually freinds this is why I dont want to ask her what camera she uses. Of course, I hid her face. But will I be able to get this type of picture with the Canon 1200D and the lens I mentionned ?

Edit: Picture removed.

I think you are referring to the amount of blur in the background, right? There isn´t really a lot of blur, so I´d say you can even do this with the kit lens.
What´s a little more difficult to tell is the focal length used (especially without seeing the face). But I think this was somewhere between 50mm and 85mm on a crop sensor camera like the 1200D.
For the rest the people above are right: lighting, etc. is done by you, not camera or lens, but I think that was not your question, right?

table1349 · Feb 23, 2017

dasmith232 said:
Not that the Minolta is a good choice for you. You probably couldn't find one nor even want one. It's older than most people here. Except maybe Derrel. (I'm kidding Derrel!)

Derrel predates the Daguerreotype. I'm not saying Derrel is old but as a Senior in High School he was God's Freshman Advisor. :boogie:

Sisitecandy · Feb 23, 2017

dasmith232 said:
It looks like you're young and probably have parents, uncles, aunts or maybe even older siblings that could have gone down this path.

I actually have no one who knows something about photography. I just discovered that a lot of people in my school take high quality pictures and I wanted to do the same because everyone looks good on them. I knew an iPhone wouldn't do the same job so instead of investing into one, I decided to get a dslr.
And for the Canon or Nikon dilemma, I think I'm going to go with Canon. And the Canon 1200D to be more precise. I hope I'm making a good choice.

What about this picture ?

Edit: Picture removed.

Designer · Feb 23, 2017

Sisitecandy said:
.. will I be able to get this type of picture with the Canon 1200D and the lens I mentionned ?

My guess is that is exactly the kind of lens you mentioned. I was unable to get any shooting details off the photo, (I got her name) but I had to guess, I'd say it was taken at 55mm, at a distance of about 5 feet, and aperture of f/5.6.

You see the tree fronds are only about 2-3 feet behind her, and they are not completely blurred out. The subject is in good focus, so if that will do for you, then get that camera with that lens.

Designer · Feb 23, 2017

Sisitecandy said:
I just discovered that a lot of people in my school take high quality pictures and I wanted to do the same because everyone looks good on them. I knew an iPhone wouldn't do the same job so instead of investing into one, I decided to get a dslr.

The factors that make a big difference are; better lenses, larger sensor, more advanced firmware, larger files, and if someone has taken the care to purchase a decent camera, they will probably also take care to aim and shoot carefully as well. Good photographs can be had without too much effort.

The iPhone has a much smaller sensor, a very wide-angle lens, and rather pedestrian-level firmware.

I would rather not get into critiquing your photographs in detail just now because I think you have much to learn about getting your first camera, so I don't want to discourage you or confuse you with side issues.