I have a gripe about photography

[Bill Hollinger]

Now if he was wearing a pair of open toed pumps........ Oh never mind!


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That would be better than open toed Birkenstocks!

[smellie]

I now have an actual digital camera and I am not pleased. The only way you can take a picture is to hold the bl*&^$y thing away from you so you can see that silly little TV screen: there's no other way to frame the shot, so you cannot possibly brace the d****d thing! And it doesn't matter what you set the camera to do, it does what IT wants to do...... so I end up with exposures of 1/1300 of a second at an effctive ASA of 2800 and stuff like that........ and a lens aperture of 3.1, just to make absolute certain that I don't have any depth of field. Really handy for landscapes, believe me.

YES, I HAVE read the manual. It is very nearly incompehensible. But then, I have only been taking photographs now for about 60 years, so that is understandable in this modern day.

My girlfriend tells me that I have to upgrade to a digital camera such as hers..... which means that I am $12,000 short in the cash department. She has expensive taste in optics, but she's fine otherwise, even eats my cooking without retching so I can hear it. Fine girl; she even liked my old wildcat. But expensive taste in optics.

I'm just about ready to dump the Digital Age completely and buy a case of film for my old SLRs. Come to think of it, I have a 1938 Praktica 35mm SLR which hasn't had a workout for some time now..... and I even have a Liechtenstein-made macro lens and a 100 that fit. And I can actually SEE what I'm doing!!!!!
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[Bill Hollinger]

Smellie, I use a 6 year old $200.00 dollar Olympus.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

smelli, maybe it's just the digital camera you have. I took the photos above with an old Sony S-85 and it has a viewfinder as well as a digital display.

It's easy to use and I take good photos using the standard default settings. (I'm no camera wizard)

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S85 4.1 MP Digital Camera - Black | eBay

[jmoore]

I'm just about ready to dump the Digital Age completely and buy a case of film for my old SLRs.

Well, I'm not far behind you! I did cancel the cable finally, as one month after a large hickory removed the incoming line, the cable company STILL hadn't fixed it. It's not like they didn't know- the repair guy sat around for three hours the day the tree fell, and he didn't do a thing. Power and phone got fixed...???

Speaking of landscapes:



Maybe he was tired from having been out two nights before fixing the entire street's cable after THIS tree fell!





I've heard that there's digital cameras available that will use the old SLR lens assemblies, but I'd rather buy ammo so I haven't shopped it out.

Considering the "grand" mass of photos that I've inflicted on this site, I guess the digital thing sort of grows on you, though. Dang electrons, never trusted 'em!

[xa-coupe]

I don't think most people will get all that a DSLR will offer because they don't need it. Even the cheap cameras can take good pictures if you take a little time to learn the basic functions and some technique. Other than being a computer nerd I also do part time photography and I always keep a point and shoot with me as it has saved my bacon a couple of times. From what I see here, other than cross dressers showing their pedicures, the biggest problem is blur / lack of focus. Some tips:

• For close ups , ALWAYS use macro mode and brace yourself against something so the camera is steady. If your camera is focussing on the background you are most likely not in macro mode and the object you are taking a picture of is too close.
• Brace yourself using your fingers spread out ( think pool cue technique... your hand raised up and fingers splayed but holding a camera) or against something.
• Try not to use the flash but if you do, move back a bit so the flash doesn't overpower the light and wash it out.
• Crop if you have to. Anyone that uses Windows will have MS Paint installed, unless it is a work computer and they have removed it. The version that comes with Windows 7 has a crop function, IIRC the earlier versions do too. If you don;t use Windows you probably know enough not to worry about this 'tutorial'
• Always make sure that the focus is correct before taking the picture. Most (if not all ) camera focus by half pressing the button. This allows the camera to focus before you press the button the rest of the way for the actual picture. If the camera won't focus doing this then you ae about guaranteed to get a crap picture but you do get to figure out why.
• If you have a tripod .. use it !

You do not need to spend serious amounts on camera gear to get decent pictures. Technique and an eye for detail will get you very presentable pictures.. and a bit of cropping will get rid to the painted toenails !
There are some very talented photogaphers here as I see some really clear and well framed pictures of firearms and so on. Look at what people post and see if you can get a similar result.

Last of all, enjoy ! It is about presenting to us your pride and joy so don't get too stressed if it isn't working out first time. Digital doesn't cost anything to reel off many pics whilst you get your technique right. Who knows, once you master that you might find your pictures of other things improve too!

jeff

[limpetmine]

And wear socks! Nobody wants to look at your bunions.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

Well written Jeff!

The only additional trick I've found very useful is taking the photos using the 3 second delay that most all digital cameras have while using a tripod.
After you choose the 3 second delay, just press lightly on the shutter button to get it to fucus and turn loose of it and let it snap the photo while not touching anything.

Even when using a tripod you can add a teeny amount of blur just by the act of pushing the button carefully. When you're in macro mode very close up it only takes the slightest amount of movement to induce some blur.

And of course take several photos of the same thing and pick out the best. It doesn't cost a cent to take several.

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

I hardly ever use the screen on the back, 99.9% of the time I use the view finder.

Some cameras also have what they call a museum mode. It turns off the flash. And if needed opens the aperture to compensate if it is a low light situation. Using that mode should reduce or stop any glare. Mine just shows a no flash icon so it makes it easy to find and use.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

That's another good idea Jim. I never use the flash when taking photos of guns regardless of settings.

Most all digital cameras have settings that will allow you to take photos where you can use very little lighting.
(Of course you must use a tripod)
You can buy inexpensive tripods for about $20 and they're one of the best tools for taking good photos.

Here's an example of using a tripod and extended shutter setting to take indoor shots.
If I had used a flash it would have had reflections, and everything in the background would have been too dark to see.

This is original nose art someone had the foresight to save when aircraft were being melted down after the end of WWII.
This exhibit is located at the CAF museum at Midland TX.