Overcoming Disability. Need Help With Shutter Speed.

[GreenJelly]

I will work on lighting. I should use a stand for this and set a slower shutter speed. I am definitely looking into one.

Well I am allot further along now. Thanks everyone.

 

[dennybeall]

I would ask you first what you're wanting to photograph. If you're just looking to capture memories then go with "S" priority at 1/250, or higher, and turn Auto ISO ON. Auto ISO may run the ISO up high and result in some visible noise but you will have a better chance of capturing the memory. You can still work with depth of field and composition and focus until you can get a tripod and more education in the hobby. I see tripods at our local Goodwill store all the time for a couple of bucks. I pick them up for light stands and trail camera stands all the time.

 

[wfooshee]

Having started with a D50 some years ago, and having been very proud to have it when I did, I will tell you that its low-light performance was nothing to write home about. Yes, you can shoot in S mode and control the shutter speed, thus fighting camera shake from your tremor. If it's dark enough the camera will keep the lens at maximum aperture anyway, but if it's that dark, your pictures will come out dark as well, underexposed.

Raising the ISO can counteract that, but the D50 has a limited ISO range compared to more recent cameras, with a max of 1600. Most modern cameras go to at least 6400, usually 12,800 and even 25,600. I recall not liking the results on my D50 even as low as ISO 800.....

If you aren't getting satisfactory pictures in low light situations, you simply have to add light in the camera (or sensitivity to light) by slowing the shutter speed, opening the aperture (lower f:number,) or raising the ISO (making the camera more sensitive to light.) The fourth option is to use flash.

Reduce the shutter speed: Shooting at 1/125 instead of 1/250 gives you twice as much light, and going to 1/60 gives you twice again. Slower shutter may be more sensitive to shake from the tremor, though. That shake is more apparent at longer focal lengths. It might be fine at 18 to 24 mm on the zoom, but unacceptable at 55mm.

Opening the aperture: f:5.6 lets in twice as much light as f:8, and f:4 lets in twice as much as f:5.6. The maximum aperture of the lens (the lowest f:number) is part of the lens's designation, i.e. the kit lens is an 18-55mm f:3.5-5.6, which means it can shoot at f:3.5 when it's zoomed back to 18mm, but is limited to f:5.6 when it's zoomed to 55mm. If the lens won't open far enough to shoot when all your other criteria (shutter and ISO) are where you need them, then the only lens option is a "faster" lens, meaning one that has a larger aperture. Zoom lenses that are fast are $$$EXPENSIVE$$$ but primes in the 50mm range are not (as far as lens pricing goes.) Downside of a fixed lens, even though it may give you better light gathering ability, is that its field of view may not fit what you need to shoot. 50mm is fairly long on a D50 camera, moderately telephoto.

Raising the ISO: Doubling the ISO number doubles the sensitivity of the sensor in the camera, at the expense of noise. Noise is seen as "grain" in digital pictures, area where color is splotchy instead of smooth and even. Noise is fairly easy to fix on the computer, but the noise reduction that's built into the camera is fairly limited.

If ISO is as high as you can stand it, aperture is wide open, and shutter is as low as you can control it, then you have to add light, either by making the space brighter or by using a flash. Flash creates issues when shooting "shiny" things, especially when shooting shiny things straight on. An image illuminated only by flash also has a surprisingly narrow distance range of correct light level. Anything closer is too bright and anything farther away is very dark. Light behaves with an inverse square rule, so something twice as far only gets 1/4 the light from your flash.

So to work with your tremor, you have to control shutter speed and not let the camera decide that for you. That means S mode, or M mode. In M, you also have to set the aperture, which is tricky on the D50 because you have to hold a button down while turning the wheel. Turning the wheel without that button sets the shutter. So for simplicity, use S mode and let the camera pick your aperture. If the meter display in the viewfinder shows that it's too dark, though, then you have to use a slower shutter or raise the aperture, or use the flash. Lots of things to figure out, but they come with practice.

Shoot some stuff, and take notes of how you shot it. Make a change (just ONE change) and note that change, and take the shot. Compare them. Make another change, and so on. By ONE change I mean change the shutter speed, or change the ISO, but don't change EVERYTHING at once; you'll never figure out what worked then.

 

[Dave442]

While you may not have the high ISO capability that newer cameras do, you can shoot with flash up to 1/500 shutter speed using your D50. The photo you posted with flash was taken at 1/350th of a second.

I think a lightweight tripod is what you want. I have a local kid that enjoys photography, but he needs to use a tripod for all of his shots due to a physical disability he was born with.

You do not need a rock solid tripod if you are using "normal" shutter speeds of 1/60th or faster. One that is easy to carry and is tall enough so you can look through the viewfinder without having the bend over too much will help. If you buy used then the prices can be very cheap, I would go to a camera store and try out some new models so you have an idea of the different styles when looking for a used one.

There are also beanbags to sit the camera on, gorilla pods and other clamps that while hold a camera to a railing or a pole. Might even see if a mono-pod will help as was mentioned in an earlier post.

 

[unpopular]

Regarding noise. Increasing ISO does not increase sensitivity, per sey, it's turning up th e"volume" of the signal prior to being digitized.

The noise is always there, even at lower ISO. You don't see it because your picture (the "signal") is "louder" than the noise. Its like a radio station. The static is always there, driving away from the station does not somehow create static, but as the radio station's signal becomes weaker, the static becomes relatively "louder" until that's all that is left to pick up. (well. sort of. increasing gain probably does create some thermal interference)

You'll often hear that "noise is not grain" and this argument is essentially valid. Unlike grain, noise does not represent the image, but rather the electrical and thermal characteristics of the camera. It appears "grainy" but that is where the similarities end.

Because a the exact characteristics of noise cannot be predicted with any degree of accuracy, all noise reductions are destructive. The computer has no way of knowing what part of the image is noise and what part of the image is signal. The simplest means would be to just blur the noise out while preserving edges, and all noise reduction will reduce detail and sharpness to some degree. Whether that degree is acceptable is up to you - and you alone. This is likewise true of what amount of noise is acceptable.

Personally, I don't find noise to be that terrible (though I do recommend the lowest practical ISO), and frequently the effects of noise reduction to be less desirable. With only 6.1mp to work with, the effect of noise reduction will be more pronounced on a D50.

I think in general managing noise through proper exposure and processing is much more valuable than trying to remove it. Well managed noise is, within reason, usually not a problem. It becomes more problematic when you're trying to push under exposed images post exposure.

 

[wfooshee]

Agree. You're turning up an amplifier, not increasing the sensitivity, but I think it's easier to think of it as sensitivity. Twice the ISO, twice the sensitivity, seems to make more sense when thinking of the result than twice the ISO, twice the amplification of light signals received.

That may just help folks who grew up on film (like me) since film ASA was sensitivity.