Nikon DSLR "Picture Of The Day"

by no means am i a moon expert, i think its a hard thing to get really right and i;m still learning. but i have learnt a fair bit off some other people here recently, (drama in particular.). good settings i have found to use for the moon:

f8-f16
more vivid contrast
1/400-800s, (tripod is ideal but with VR i don't bother using one at this shutter speed.)
iso 100-400, (no need to use high iso's cos the moon is bright)
sunlight white balance, (yes, sunlight ! i was surprised to learn this.)
spot focus
-0.7ev

i think most people overexpose the image. the secret is to under expose if anything to show moon detail otherwise its a bit of a white blob.

lotsa times the moon can start very low in the early evening and this is the best time to take the shot. unfortunately most of my shots are when the moon is at or near its highest point which means you gotta crop more so less sharpness and detail.

Here's a picture of some reed I shot yesterday from a unusual angle.
Used a polarizer and the Sigma 10-20. The polarizer was set in such a way that I didn't get uneven sky, but did get some enhancements in the colours and contrast of the reed.

D50, Sigma 10-20
10mm, f/8, 1/250", ISO200,

Attachment 22607

d50
18-55
sb600

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/6...072copypc6.jpg

Tooken at my buddys band space after they were done. I really liked this picture. So comment and such are open.

Nikon D50
18-55 Kit Lens
Auto

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y27...Picture003.jpg

D70
28-80
f/3.8 1/60sec handheld
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...r/_DSC5571.jpg

Wanted to test how much detail i can get out of th 70-300

This is at 270mm, 1/1000 (to stop action), f/14(wanted it sharp for every feature, let me know if I can use larger aperture), -0.7EV (D80 seems to overexpose most of the time, blame it on me not understanding the camera well enuf yet) with ISO 800(this is the sacrifice)

Handheld

http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/27...600x600Q85.jpg

Nice photo, seems a little soft for F14 though. One question, if you feel your camera is over exposing, why did you increase the ISO to 800?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jcon

Nice photo, seems a little soft for F14 though. One question, if you feel your camera is over exposing, why did you increase the ISO to 800?

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errr.. good qns, jcon,...dont really have a good ans...but here's a methodology i read/invented?? myself... i used manual mode on this, cos i wanted the speed and aperture, used auto ISO to set whatever it want with max of ISO 800. And I think I tried this method on other shots as well, and its a little over exposed, so set the exposure compensation to -0.7 EV.

Am I doing something wrong, or is there a better way to do it??

yah..a little soft.... i did crop a bit (would this affect??), and the original is actually a little sharper.. always had trouble uploading

Yeah, cropping can affect it a little, depending on how heavily cropped it is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lightinsky

This is at 270mm, 1/1000 (to stop action), f/14(wanted it sharp for every feature

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Is this the new VR lens? I really think F8 is where it's at. I don't think F14 will do anything except possibly make things worse. If the aperture gets too small, it can be just as bad as opening it too much.

Also, I definitely do not recommend using ISO800 on a bright sunny day. ISO200 is fine, and maybe ISO400 if you feel you need it. Here are the settings I would recommend:

F8 (this is the sweet spot)
ISO200 (much cleaner than ISO800)
Spot metering - Spot metering shouldn't have the exposure (what people think is an) "issue". Spot metering here because you're shooting a white bird. It will help keep the detail in the feathers and you can always brighten it up in PP a little if need be.
I always use -1/3 EV. But, I never change it, regardless of metering mode (mostly in matrix) and it seems to do fine.

I personally use Av mode. So does my friend. We constantly check the shutter speed and if it's lacking, then we up the ISO...but, only then.

Your method actually isn't bad. I think it's just the F14 thing...and ISO800 on what looks to be a fairly bright day.

Regardless, shooting birds can be a challenge. I've been going at it with my friend for some months now and every time we go out I feel like I do better than before.

Oh, don't forget AF-C :D

And since this is a PoTD thread...This was actually shot on completely different settings, just to show that not every shot requires the same settings...and although I stopped everything at 1/400th, I think 1/1000+ is best to make sure the wing tips don't blur...

http://www.danshobbyshack.com/temp/d80/birdinflight.jpg

D80 in Av mode | 70-300 @ 300mm | F5.6 | -2/3 EV | 1/400th | ISO100 | Matrix Metering

P.S. Just noticed you use the Sigma. that's what my friend used. Definitely F8!!