Help me use my D800

[SilliG]

To be honest OP, you brought on all of these smart a$$ comments to yourself when you posted up a new thread "Help me use my D800". I guaranteed you probably struck a universal pet peeve with many noobs, hobbyists, and professional who took the painstaking job of reading their manual, or at least search the internet for help. Your first post gave me the impression to me, that you are nothing more than a rich college kid with an expensive camera; that wanted help from people like Graystar to hold your hand. Let me give you an example of where I'm coming.

A person brings in a desktop and tells they want to upgrade so they can play better PC games. Instead of buying a better graphics card(lenses in your case w/D90), they opt for a newer machine. So they drop $13-$1400 on a pre-built system, then asking me how do I turn on the machine or where is the power button? Are you seeing the similarities? They have a kick a$$ machine but asking me where the power button is located.

Whether you are in cyberspace or in the real world, people remember you by your first impression. If you would have opened the thread as you did above, you would have received a lot warmer welcome. People understand time is valuable, and have other responsibilities, but how much time do you have to learn a camera of that caliber? So I stand by my comments(I know you were not attacking me directly) that it's very lazy not to read the manual before you start playing the buttons or search for sources on the net.

First let me get the "Rich College Kid" mindset clarified I am by no means is anywhere close to rich. I do know how to sacrifice and invest my money toward purchases that I can enjoy for more than one night. At the time I just got the camera the day before had played with it a bit before reading the manual and it seemed Nikon had changed a lot because my knowledge from using my D90 had me coming up short of using this camera to at least a basic level of functionality. I began to read the manual lightly while seeking advice on this forum because I was so excited since I just spent so much money I just wanted to be able to use the camera decently and was looking for someone in your terms "to hold my hand" to make the learning curve shorter. I thought people would be more than excited to help me out since the camera is such a new model and they were going to see how well it worked and how well it produced pics. Also just the common courtesy of someone seeking general advice with a related topic is what I thought a forum was about. Starting a discussion and helping one another by sharing knowledge so everyone learns more and benefits. I did not open the thread as I have just posted because if it was not for the help of people like Graystar I would have not even gotten this far. I am thankful he shared his knowledge with me that many others could have easily contributed to as well but refused to because they let their pride get in the way. By thoughts of I never had it easy you should work for it. Well I didn't even know where to start other than reading the manual but still I didn't even know how to start putting what together to get me to a basic level of functionality with this camera. It would of taken me at least a week or two to get where I am at without the help of Graystar. But now that I do have a very basic understanding I will continue practice and test with this camera also to post up my results for anyone else out there who might be in a similar situation. Or maybe simply just to see how well the new d800 works. I can understand how you can think that it is lazy that you think I may ask questions on the internet , play with the buttons on the camera, or search sources on the net before reading the manual. But there are more efficient ways to learn than by just sitting in a room reading my manual and test shooting my camera all day till I can get the results I want. That's why people make internet forums so if your in a situation like me, someone who wants to learn about a topic but doesn't have a friend or taken a formal class on it can exchange information to learn.

 

[belial]

The negative reactions to this thread are understandable. Many of us would kill to have a d800. Shoot id love to have a d90 over my pathetic rebel t1i body. And i will confess to thinking it wasnt fair when i opened this thread that many of us have more knowledge and am growing faster but dont have as good pf a body as someone who basically shoots auto.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

You still citing blah blah blah on the Internetz or have you been investing time studying the manual and figuring out how to use your new toy

 

[mjhoward]

Currently I am working on Aperture and tweaking the settings to just get a generally clear picture. Also, working on my depth of field to make photos a bit more interesting. In addition to that I have a color polarizer I will be working with probably tonight to see what types of results I get after reading a very informational pdf explaining polorizers I would like to run some tests. Its shaping up to be mostly indoor photos tho because its raining here. The main reason I got into photography is because of my passion for cars I really enjoy going to events and seeing all the incredible machines but I feel there has always been a lack of good coverage. Its more photographers at nightclubs then there at automotive events. Since I am a big car guy so that will be my main area of interest and mostly what I will be using the camera for. I am not sure but maybe that is classified as landscape since its mostly outdoors but I do plan on getting some action shots soon so that means things will be moving which adds another element in shutter speed and lenses I am unfamiliar with. Other than cars I do plan to use the camera for like holidays, and small personal events too but this will be less than 5% of the use.

I'll just tell you, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Aperture. This becomes clear when you try and mix ambient light with flash. This is something you may not ever get into since most automotive photography can be done without flash. I don't know what lenses you already have, but for automotive photography, you may want to check out an Ultra Wide Angle lens. It can give you some neat perspectives on body shots (3/4 angle, etc.) but it can be especially good for interior shots. If you don't already have a standard lens (around 50mm), you might try the 40mm or 60mm Micro lenses. This will give you the option of having a standard field of view for normal pics but also give you the option of taking very close-up (1:1) shots of small parts or emblems on the cars or interiors that would look good magnified. Just throwing that idea out there.

 

[SilliG]

You still citing blah blah blah on the Internetz or have you been investing time studying the manual and figuring out how to use your new toy

Well when I am at work I post on the site when I have free time and I look at other webpages as well. But its hard for me to read the manual w/o having my camera right in front of me. I like to read try out the settings as I go along it helps me understand better.

 

[IByte]

First let me get the "Rich College Kid" mindset clarified I am by no means is anywhere close to rich. I do know how to sacrifice and invest my money toward purchases that I can enjoy for more than one night. At the time I just got the camera the day before had played with it a bit before reading the manual and it seemed Nikon had changed a lot because my knowledge from using my D90 had me coming up short of using this camera to at least a basic level of functionality. I began to read the manual lightly while seeking advice on this forum because I was so excited since I just spent so much money I just wanted to be able to use the camera decently and was looking for someone in your terms "to hold my hand" to make the learning curve shorter. I thought people would be more than excited to help me out since the camera is such a new model and they were going to see how well it worked and how well it produced pics. Also just the common courtesy of someone seeking general advice with a related topic is what I thought a forum was about. Starting a discussion and helping one another by sharing knowledge so everyone learns more and benefits. I did not open the thread as I have just posted because if it was not for the help of people like Graystar I would have not even gotten this far. I am thankful he shared his knowledge with me that many others could have easily contributed to as well but refused to because they let their pride get in the way. By thoughts of I never had it easy you should work for it. Well I didn't even know where to start other than reading the manual but still I didn't even know how to start putting what together to get me to a basic level of functionality with this camera. It would of taken me at least a week or two to get where I am at without the help of Graystar. But now that I do have a very basic understanding I will continue practice and test with this camera also to post up my results for anyone else out there who might be in a similar situation. Or maybe simply just to see how well the new d800 works. I can understand how you can think that it is lazy that you think I may ask questions on the internet , play with the buttons on the camera, or search sources on the net before reading the manual. But there are more efficient ways to learn than by just sitting in a room reading my manual and test shooting my camera all day till I can get the results I want. That's why people make internet forums so if your in a situation like me, someone who wants to learn about a topic but doesn't have a friend or taken a formal class on it can exchange information to learn.

Case and point you gave the perception as one. With that said, since you are going Rit I would check their photography club I know for a fact they gave one.

 

[IByte]

Well when I am at work I post on the site when I have free time and I look at other webpages as well. But its hard for me to read the manual w/o having my camera right in front of me. I like to read try out the settings as I go along it helps me understand better.

Read a portion, test it on your camera, read another chapter, test it on your camera...Viola.

 

[SilliG]

Currently I am working on Aperture and tweaking the settings to just get a generally clear picture. Also, working on my depth of field to make photos a bit more interesting. In addition to that I have a color polarizer I will be working with probably tonight to see what types of results I get after reading a very informational pdf explaining polorizers I would like to run some tests. Its shaping up to be mostly indoor photos tho because its raining here. The main reason I got into photography is because of my passion for cars I really enjoy going to events and seeing all the incredible machines but I feel there has always been a lack of good coverage. Its more photographers at nightclubs then there at automotive events. Since I am a big car guy so that will be my main area of interest and mostly what I will be using the camera for. I am not sure but maybe that is classified as landscape since its mostly outdoors but I do plan on getting some action shots soon so that means things will be moving which adds another element in shutter speed and lenses I am unfamiliar with. Other than cars I do plan to use the camera for like holidays, and small personal events too but this will be less than 5% of the use.

I'll just tell you, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Aperture. This becomes clear when you try and mix ambient light with flash. This is something you may not ever get into since most automotive photography can be done without flash. I don't know what lenses you already have, but for automotive photography, you may want to check out an Ultra Wide Angle lens. It can give you some neat perspectives on body shots (3/4 angle, etc.) but it can be especially good for interior shots. If you don't already have a standard lens (around 50mm), you might try the 40mm or 60mm Micro lenses. This will give you the option of having a standard field of view for normal pics but also give you the option of taking very close-up (1:1) shots of small parts or emblems on the cars or interiors that would look good magnified. Just throwing that idea out there.

Thanks for the tip I have been looking at the Nikon 24mm lens for a wide angle lens. I like prime lenses a lot better than zoom I feel that the pictures come out better. As of right now I just use my Nikon 50mm 1.8 it was a cheap prime lens that has worked very well. But having an ultra wide lense seems like it would benefit me a lot esp for interior shots where there isn't a lot of room.

 

[ph0enix]

Here is a lot of very useful info:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-forum/267492-info-those-new-photography.html

It's a great start.

 

[The_Traveler]

I was in Columbus Park in NYC when a herd of guys with Leicas flooded the park- Leica USA gives classes in NYC
Just from the way they were moving and shooting, it was clear that some of them had no clue - and that's 10k to start.

 

[Derrel]

I was in Columbus Park in NYC when a herd of guys with Leicas flooded the park- Leica USA gives classes in NYC
Just from the way they were moving and shooting, it was clear that some of them had no clue - and that's 10k to start.

TALK ABOUT A WEIRD COINCIDENCE! Before I got to Lew's post, I was thinking to myself, "Hey, if this same guy had bought a Leica and didn't know squat about how to use it, he'd be amongst the 80 percent of Leica buyers who buy the camera to wear as a necklace...Leica has long,long appealed to people who could not shoot their way out of a paper bag with a howitzer, and yet when THEY buy a fancy toy, people are not condescending to them...

Double standard I guess...d-slr shooters actually enjoy photography...many Leica owners are just in it for the status symbol value (probably 80 percent).

 

[SilliG]

I mainly kept my aperture at 1.8 or 3.5 being a noob I thought the lower DOF wud be better with close up shots. Also it was the first time I used my circular polarizer. It was cloudy outside I didn't think it was going to have much of an impact but it seemed to darken my photos. You can always check my EXIF info out to see what I was shooting with.

After READING! I found out I should keep the sun to my back when using a circular polarizer. Also to get the sharpest Apeture for this lens I should be at a F/5.6 or F/8. After work I am going to test this theory out. Any tips on what good Aperture settings I should be at would help!

On aperture, remember that sharpness isn't everything. The last shot of the car on the tray is a perfect example of the subject isolation you get with wide apertures. When you blur the surroundings of your subject, it makes the subject stand out. There are times when sharpness is paramount, such as with landscapes, photographs of paintings and other artwork, insect macros, etc. In cases where the details matter, you should use your sharpest aperture. But using such an aperture for all of your photographs would make for a lot of boring shots. That car on the tray wouldn't be nearly as interesting if the entire image were in sharp focus.

Using a polarizer takes a little bit of understanding. They're most effective when the light source (usually the sun) is 90 degrees to the lens. For example, if the sun were directly overhead, then the greatest polarizing effect would be along the entire horizon. Outdoors, polarizers will darken a blue sky, increasing the contrast with clouds. They'll help lift shadows and brighten foliage.

Polarizers are also good for cutting reflections off of glass and water, but again, the angles have to be right. You may read that polarizers don't work on metal, which is only partially true...the polarizer will cut reflections of polarized light from metal. If you have an LCD monitor on your computer, then you have a source of polarized light you can play with. Look at your monitor through your polarizer.

Here's a PDF on polarizers.
http://archive.popphoto.com/pdfs/2002/0902/Polarizer.pdf

Well I did some testing with my computer screen and my camera last night. After reading the article you sent me which was a very good read if I may add I learned a lot. I never knew that simply spinning the polorizer would result in different effects in light to get the polorazation effect. After some testing here is what I saw just with my computer screen. Also I would like to take this outside to try the rule of thumb and see how I do with cars. I couldn't do it yesterday because it was thunderstorming all night.

Same position and just spinning my polorizer about 90*


DSC_0256 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0257 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0258 by SilliG25, on Flickr

and after playing with the polorizer I took a picture of my lamp and tried to recreate the poloraztion effect.


DSC_0271 by SilliG25, on Flickr

 

[SilliG]

Here is a lot of very useful info:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-forum/267492-info-those-new-photography.html

It's a great start.

Thank you I will start to go through the basics today there is a lot of good info there.

 

[SilliG]

After some toying around I was able to take it to a car show and shoot around I think the photos came out pretty good. I see I need some work on lighting I think I have to play with the white balance more reading and testing this week.


DSC_0418 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0398-2 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0443 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0419 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0514-2 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0521 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0524 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0501 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0570 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0583 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0596 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0597 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0629 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0641 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0648 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0650 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0697 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0694 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0749 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0611 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0745 by SilliG25, on Flickr

 

[StandingBear1983]

SilliG - what lense on the D800 did you use for these?