jerseygirl
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2007
- Messages
- 95
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so i borrowed a friends sigma 24-70 lens with the ability to test what an f-stop at 2.8 gives me (previously i'd been shooting with a canon 28-105). i have a canon EOS digital rebel (a few years old).
now i got a few keepers, but am still baffled by my good photo to overall photos taken ratio. it seems like for every 50-80 shots, i get one "good one".
my goal is to get crisp eyes, entire face in focus, and a shallow DOF.
i have started to shoot exclusively in RAW.
both of these photos needed exposure compensation and fill light help as they were both a tad dark. i didn't touch contrast yet. but as far as the eyes are concerned, i'm pleased with the outcome.
so my questions are:
1. what can i try to address my AF issue? is it me? is it the lens? i attempted to shoot consistently at f8 and f11, but really did not see an increase in the "crisp eyes" i wanted. how much of a role does light play in the ability for the lens to auto focus? what do i need to do to maximize my chances of getting a crisp shot both in low light and outdoor conditions? should i be standing farther away from my subjects (i don't want to do this as i like to frame the shot as is and only crop afterwards if needed)?
2. i find my light meter to be "off". if i aim to set the exposure in the middle range i wind up having to adjust the photo sometimes because it's underexposed, sometimes overexposed. it's not consistently light or dark.
3. flash. for my indoor shots i have started to use a speedlite 430 as a bounce flash. i can't figure out how to sync the light readings to the flash. it's like the camera ignores the existence of the thing. reading the manual i see that if i get the "correct exposure" the confirmation light will light up AFTER the photo is taken. a lot of good that does me setting up the shot . i am constantly guessing what shutter speed to use because the exposure always reads -2 even when i know the flash will do the trick. what am i doing wrong?
4. what lens to buy? i was leaning towards the fixed focal but i do like the zoom feature if i can't get to where i need to be in a pinch. is the Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens worth a try or will i find the AF frustrating? is the Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens worth the extra $200? why would i choose these over the Canon Telephoto EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Autofocus Lens? or would something like the sigma with a zoom i have borrowed from my friend be a better investment?
i don't mind spending a few hundred dollars if it will "do the trick" as far as my auto focus problems are concerned. what i don't want to do is drop a lot of $$$ only to find out i'm not solving my problems...
Shooting Mode - Manual
Shutter Speed - 1/200
Aperture Value - 4.0
Metering Mode - Center-weighted averaging
ISO Speed - 200
Lens - 24.0 - 70.0mm
Focal Length - 36.0mm
Flash - On
Flash Type - External E-TTL
Shooting Mode - Aperture-Priority AE
Shutter Speed - 1/800
Aperture Value - 8.0
Metering Mode - Evaluative
Exposure Compensation = -2/3
ISO Speed - 400
Lens - 24.0 - 70.0mm
Focal Length - 64.0mm
Flash - Off
now i got a few keepers, but am still baffled by my good photo to overall photos taken ratio. it seems like for every 50-80 shots, i get one "good one".
my goal is to get crisp eyes, entire face in focus, and a shallow DOF.
i have started to shoot exclusively in RAW.
both of these photos needed exposure compensation and fill light help as they were both a tad dark. i didn't touch contrast yet. but as far as the eyes are concerned, i'm pleased with the outcome.
so my questions are:
1. what can i try to address my AF issue? is it me? is it the lens? i attempted to shoot consistently at f8 and f11, but really did not see an increase in the "crisp eyes" i wanted. how much of a role does light play in the ability for the lens to auto focus? what do i need to do to maximize my chances of getting a crisp shot both in low light and outdoor conditions? should i be standing farther away from my subjects (i don't want to do this as i like to frame the shot as is and only crop afterwards if needed)?
2. i find my light meter to be "off". if i aim to set the exposure in the middle range i wind up having to adjust the photo sometimes because it's underexposed, sometimes overexposed. it's not consistently light or dark.
3. flash. for my indoor shots i have started to use a speedlite 430 as a bounce flash. i can't figure out how to sync the light readings to the flash. it's like the camera ignores the existence of the thing. reading the manual i see that if i get the "correct exposure" the confirmation light will light up AFTER the photo is taken. a lot of good that does me setting up the shot . i am constantly guessing what shutter speed to use because the exposure always reads -2 even when i know the flash will do the trick. what am i doing wrong?
4. what lens to buy? i was leaning towards the fixed focal but i do like the zoom feature if i can't get to where i need to be in a pinch. is the Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens worth a try or will i find the AF frustrating? is the Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens worth the extra $200? why would i choose these over the Canon Telephoto EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Autofocus Lens? or would something like the sigma with a zoom i have borrowed from my friend be a better investment?
i don't mind spending a few hundred dollars if it will "do the trick" as far as my auto focus problems are concerned. what i don't want to do is drop a lot of $$$ only to find out i'm not solving my problems...
Shooting Mode - Manual
Shutter Speed - 1/200
Aperture Value - 4.0
Metering Mode - Center-weighted averaging
ISO Speed - 200
Lens - 24.0 - 70.0mm
Focal Length - 36.0mm
Flash - On
Flash Type - External E-TTL
Shooting Mode - Aperture-Priority AE
Shutter Speed - 1/800
Aperture Value - 8.0
Metering Mode - Evaluative
Exposure Compensation = -2/3
ISO Speed - 400
Lens - 24.0 - 70.0mm
Focal Length - 64.0mm
Flash - Off