New to here, need some tips

[Aviation&Hockey]

This is my first post on here. I am also a member over on www.fencecheck.com. I am in need of some tips.
My camera (Kodak Z650) has the following settings:
Zoom:38-380mm (10X optical, 5X digital)
ISO speed:80-400
f/stop: f/2.8-f/8
shutter speed: 1/1000-8"
light capacity(?):-2.0-+2.0

-I have been trying to get prop blur on aircraft down, playing with the f/stop and shutter speed settings. the one problem I am running into is that when I let the shutter stay open long enough to catch the full rotational blur of the prop, the image ends up WAY too bright:

how so i get the pic to be more realistic in the amount of light let in while keeping the shutter open long enough to get the full prop blur? this was with the light capacity setting set to -2.0.

-Also with lighting, but on the opposite end. i was shooting a helicopter landing practically dead beside of me and when i zoomed all of the way back to fit as much of it in as i could, the pic still came out real dark:

This was with the light capacity setting on 0.0. WHAT DO I DO?!?!?

-What are the best settings for night photography....messed around with it, but best i got was this:

Just a little too blurry. I dunno.....

Any help would be welcome. THANKS!!!!

Aviation&Hockey

 

[AUZambo]

What was the f-stop on that first pic? I think the obvious solution would be to decrease aperture while keeping shutter speed the same...but I'm just a noob. Maybe one of the seasoned vets can offer more insight!

 

[outdoorlover]

It's hard to tell you WHAT to do, every day is different.
To get prop blur, you need a slower shutter, prob anything below 125 will be fine. To get the proper exp, then you need to learn to adj apeture.
Are you shooting in manual or auto??
Also, when you shoot toward a bright sky, as in the copter pic, you are metering on the bright sky, so the copter looks darker.
Your first pic was badly overexposed, but without specific settings, I can't help more.
In the future, record all your settings and send them with the pic.
Also, if you are using digital keep shooting, change settings and shoot again..

 

[JIP]

on your first shot just because you use manual exposure does not mean you can just ignore what the camera's meter tells you to do.

 

[highwoodhiker]

In daylight, you won't be able to get the shutter speed low enough even when at your lowest ISO and smallest aperture because the photo will be overexposed. The light levels are simply too high. The only solution is to use a neutral density filter. If 1/500 is the right shutter speed for proper exposure, then a 3 stop grad can get you down to 1/60 of a second. A two stop grad will get you to 1/125.

The dark copter pic, as mentioned you probably metered off the bright sky when you were at a wide angle and then if you didn't change the setting when you zoomed in, your shutter speed would have been too fast (or aperture too large) for the helicopter to be exposed properly.

Night time shots. Same settings as daytime can usually be used. Just use a tripod and a longer shutter speed. Shots longer than a few seconds will require a dark frame to take care of noise if your camera doesn't do this for you and if chroma noise is a problem for very long exposure times, which it can be even at your lowest ISO, you may need to take several exposures for averaging.

 

[shingfan]

instead of using Manual mode....use aperature or shutter pripority.....this way you get better exposure as a beginner.......then all you need to worry about would be choosing the proper shutter speed to get the blur effect....in day time......if the slowest shutter speed allowed is still not slow enough to get the blur effect....then you'll need to use an ND filter.....ND filter allows you to get the same exposure but with a longer shutter speed (ND filter reduce the exposure by a specified amount given by the rating of the filter, thus allowing you to use a longer exposure time)........avoid manual if you dont know how to get proper exposure by adjusting the aperature and shutter speed.......trust the camera meter becuase that is your best source in the beginning of your learning curve unless you have a light meter....cheers ^_^

edit: a comment to add.....the shutter might be too slow in #3...that's why causing the blurriness (from hand shake it seems).....a simple rule for shutter speed that many ppl use .....minimum shutter speed = 1/(focal lenght*1.5)

 

[fmw]

1. You reduced shutter speed without a corresponding f stop or ISO adjustment, overexposing the image.

2. You are metering the sky and that underexposes the helicopter. You need to give more exposure in these circumstances. Either open up a stop or stop and 1/2 or set the exposure compensation to do that for you.

3. Night shots are trial and error for the most part. Sorry. There is no correct answer and meters aren't terribly useful since they will overexpose night shots.

In a nutshell, you need to study up on photographic exposure and the techniques surrounding it. Take care.

 

[Aviation&Hockey]

1. You reduced shutter speed without a corresponding f stop or ISO adjustment, overexposing the image.

2. You are metering the sky and that underexposes the helicopter. You need to give more exposure in these circumstances. Either open up a stop or stop and 1/2 or set the exposure compensation to do that for you.

3. Night shots are trial and error for the most part. Sorry. There is no correct answer and meters aren't terribly useful since they will overexpose night shots.

In a nutshell, you need to study up on photographic exposure and the techniques surrounding it. Take care.

Thank you everyone for your input. honestly, half of what has been said i didnt understand, but again, im just learning. so i'll respond to what I do understand.

1. ok, so basically, i can leave the shutter speed where it was, but would I increase of decrease f/stop and/or ISO?

2. OK first of all, i dont understand the term "metering". I have an idea, but i'd rather just let someone on here explain. By saying "open up a stop" you mean increase f/stop form, say, f/4.0 to f/8.0? and by "exposure compensation" do you mean the -2.0 to +2.0?

3. yeah ive tried a few more of these, but not available yet....

ok, sorry if i offended anyone by not responding to their specific suggestions. im going to read up some, when i have time (hard at work college student plus almost full time job) and see what i can fix. thanks

 

[EOS_JD]

Try this for starters
Set camera to Manual. ISO to 100
Use 1/125 for shutter speed.

Now dial up/down the apperture until the meter reading shows you have a correct exposure.

Now if it's the helicopter shot the meter is metering more for the sky which means that because the helicopter is slightly darker, it's going to be under exposed. The helicopter needs more light than you are giving it so making the apperture f5.6 will give it one stop more light (leave the shutter at 1/125).

read a book called understanding exposure by Bryan something..... makes understanding it much easier.

 

[shingfan]

i would avoid Manual mode unless you know exactly what you are doing.....using manual mode with the camera's light meter is kind of meaningless......because shutter and aperature mode are both using the same meter but does the adjustment for you automatically.....and when you need exposure adjustment for bright background....or dark background....then you would adjust the exposure value to compensate for the off-meter........but as suggested by EOS JD....better read up on exposure to understand how it works

 

[Aviation&Hockey]

Went out and did some work with settings. here are the results.....

Old pic:

New Pic:

Shutter Priority: f/8.0, 1/200th sec, -2.0, 80 ISO

Old Pic:

New Pic:

Shutter Priority: f/2.8, 1/200th sec, -2.0, 80 ISO

 

[Aviation&Hockey]

CAUGHT THE STROBE ON THE TAIL!!!!

 

[Aviation&Hockey]

flight deck..........

 

[outdoorlover]

those are much better..
Still a little exposure trouble but you are not using the frinedlest subjects.

 

[ironsidephoto]

i think you may be confused on what 'opening up the aperture' means.
bigger aperture numbers means a smaller opening. f/22 is a tiny hole, f/1.4 is a huge one. it's the opposite of what you'd think it would be.

f/22 lets in a very small amount of light--use longer shutter speeds
f/1.4 lets in a huge amount--use fast speeds.

then we get into the whole depth of field thing. . . just practice.