First pic taken with my Nikon D90, C&C please

[RichardsTPF]

#1.

First outdoor pics taken with my new Nikon D90 18-200mm Len. Practice my exposure skill.
Aperture mode f11, 1/80s, iso200, 44mm
Auto WB, AF
AF-area mode: Dynamic area
Metering mode: Center weighted

Please C&C. Is it OOF? Shall I use Dynamic area mode or others? This pic is not clear to me. What would you do?

#2.
What can be improved?

 

[tirediron]

C&C per req:

1. Technically, the image is fine; the exposure is acceptable, it's focused, the horizon is leve, but what is it an image of? What/where is the subject? With respect to your question on focusing modes, read your manual. Nikon's manual provide a wealth of information and recommendations on when and for what the various modes are best suited. As for what I would have done? Probably not pressed the shutter release.

2. This appears to be a neat little toy helicopter sitting on a badly scarred counter-top. There are depth-of-field issues, expsoure and lighting issues. What was your intent with this image?

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[RichardsTPF]

Thank you for your reply.
1. I took this shot at 8pm. I try to get warm and gold feeling. May be I should work on the WB? I haven't finish reading my manual yet (only finished half of it). I want to compare the difference effect of each AF mode at landscape. There might be some answer in the other half of the book.
2. Practice A, S and M exposure mode. Try to see the blur effect and sharpness at long focal.
130mm, f5.6, iso200, 0.3s, manual
What is wrong with the depth-of-field issues, expsoure and lighting? Any suggestion?

 

[noodles]

The 18-200 Nikon vrII lens has dynamic aperture .. i don't find it a very good lens when you want to change the DoF as you're limited to the aperture.

#1 - technically the picture is ok. But as tirederon said, it's a boring picture. My eyes are wondering around finding the subject.

#2 - playing with shutter priority mode on a static toy probably isn't the best thing to practice on. Try a moving subject, cars, children, people. For practice on focal lengths and blur effects (bokeh), i'd use two objects. I practiced with a soda can and a beer bottle in the background.

The D90 is a good camera.. i have one. Enjoy it

 

[KmH]

#2.
What can be improved?

The white balance, the exposure, the clarity (mid-tone contrast), and the sharpness. Visit http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm;

 

[RichardsTPF]

Thank you for the link. It's very helpful. I like the way you did to the background. But it also fades the yellow color. May be increase the contrast?

 

[KmH]

Under exposure increases color saturation. Correcting the under exposure and the white balance decreased the saturation.

I had to edit what you posted, a JPEG. JPEG only has an 8-bit color depth, and the original was made with the camera set to the wrong, or auto, white balance.

 

[RichardsTPF]

I set at auto WB when taking the pic. Do you mean there would be more options/better way to edit the pic if I used raw file?
I should learn some PS skills.

 

[KmH]

The D90 makes NEF Raw files that have 12-bit color depth. Bit Depth

That's 4096 gradations of color in each of the 3 color channels: red, green, blue. 4096 x 4096 x 4096 = a big ass number. (what's 16,777,216 x 4096?)

Tutorials – The RAW File Format

 

[RichardsTPF]

Thanks for the info.