nikon D50 trying to shoot a celing fan and get clear pics

[davew]

ok since the manual goes into 0 detail on how to use the other modes
maybe we need a tips and tricks section
here is what i am trying to do
i want to shoot good pics in low light
fast moving objects
so..
as a test i set the d50 in A mode bumped up the iso to 400 800 1600 and tried setting the F to the lowest
it still wont capture the ceiling fan blades in stop action without being blurry
where does one start?
Sports mode outside in the daytime fine great.

But I want to learn this camera and find 0 resources out there on how we actually USE the different modes properly.

[Jason25]

You'll need a faster lens to capture something like that, as there's generally much less ambient light indoors than there is outdoors. You'll need probably at very least a f2.8 lens, or just use flash at 1/500 in manual mode.

[davew]

Thank you

I am just flustered that I do not know information and have found the manual very lacking for a beginner in DSLR .

and real world sites with examples are not to big of a help or non existent.

Jason maybe you should write up some tips and how 2's? for us new to dslr

[XaiLo]

Thank you

I am just flustered that I do not know information and have found the manual very lacking for a beginner in DSLR .

and real world sites with examples are not to big of a help or non existent.

Jason maybe you should write up some tips and how 2's? for us new to dslr

You may want to purchase "Understanding Exposure" Revised Edition by Bryan Peterson. Exposure is a science of sorts especially if your in manual mode. The user manual does not cover the nuances of exposure. Considering that by just slightly moving a camera the optimum exposure setting can change... this subject is really beyond the scope of a user manual.

[Jason25]

I'll second that recommendation, it's a fantastic book for the basics.

[jcon]

Try shooting with a very high shutter speed and around an aperture of F9. ISO doesnt really matter, use flash.

To stop motion you must shoot with a high shutter speed. I also suggest doing some research and reading. There are alot of helpful tools and resources out there for you! This place is one of them, dont hesitate to ask questions!

Ofcourse the simple way to get a picture of the fan without the blades moving would be... turn the fan off

[CamNovice]

Davew,

I am very, very new myself and like you am less than satisfied with the manual that comes with the Nikon (I have the D80). My frustrations are similar to yours about the lack of information on the various modes. I have a thread running now about blurry pics and one kind member shared a high recommendation for a digital book that goes way beyond the manual with the camera and he says these manuals are very good. I just checked the site and they have one on the D50 as well. I am certainly going to be getting one myself based on this recommendation. The following is the link to the site with the digital books: http://www.bythom.com/

Below is the thread where tcadwall gives his thoughts about these books:

http://www.dcresource.com/forums/sho...t=26532&page=2

[davew]

Try shooting with a very high shutter speed and around an aperture of F9. ISO doesnt really matter, use flash.

To stop motion you must shoot with a high shutter speed. I also suggest doing some research and reading. There are alot of helpful tools and resources out there for you! This place is one of them, dont hesitate to ask questions!

Ofcourse the simple way to get a picture of the fan without the blades moving would be... turn the fan off

Ok I understand that a bit
I put the D50 in M mode
tested the shutter on a few settings hit the +/- dial and lowered the F number as low as it would go with my "kit" 18-55
I can see the difference in say 160 -400 leaving the F at 4 f 9 forget it lights and all are gone
so the higher the f the lower the light will be
I see
thanks that tip helped me a lot

[jamison55]

As a new Nikonian, I'll contribute.

The answer is simple - you need a fast shutter speed to stop the ceiling fan.

That's it...lesson over.


OK, maybe you knew that. So let's talk about how to get a fast shutter speed. Exposure 101 - there are three things that contribute to exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Using a combination of these you (or the camera) make a decision on how much light will hit the sensor and make the image.

For many scenes, you can choose any combination of shutter speed/aperture/ISO to get proper exposure, but when you are trying to stop a moving object, you have to have a fast shutter speed. So that means you have to get enough light to the sensor using a combination of aperture and ISO.

The more light you can get to the sensor using aperture and ISO, the faster your SS can be.

Lets start with aperture. I took the following images of my ceiling fan at its highest setting using different aperture/shutter speed cominations to make the same exposure (Nikon D80, Nikon 50 f1.8 lens):

f5.6 aperture required a 1/125 shutter speed. Not fast enough.


f4 aperture required a 1/250 shutter speed. Not fast enough.


f2.8 aperture required a 1/500 shutter speed. Almost fast enough.


f1.8 aperture required a 1/1000 shutter speed. Finally fast enough. Bad focus do to shallower depth of focus at f1.8 - everything's a tradeoff!



So by opening up my aperture I was able to let more light in, allowing me to use faster shutter speeds.

That's why fast glass is so important to sports shooters. It's also a lot more expensive, and usually a lot bigger and heavier.


But what if your lens only opens up to f4 (like the kit lens)? You still need to get more light to the sensor in order to be able to use a faster shutter speed. You can do this by bumping up your ISO. Using just the ISO I can achieve the same results as above:

f5.6 aperture requires a 1/125 shutter speed at ISO100. Not fast enough.
f5.6 aperture required a 1/250 shutter speed at ISO200. Not fast enough.
f5.6 aperture required a 1/500 shutter speed at ISO400. Almost fast enough.
f5.6 aperture required a 1/1000 shutter speed at ISO1600. Finally fast enough.

Bottom line is to use the combination of aperture and ISO to stop the motion. Buying an f2.8 telephoto will really help get the fast shutter speeds!


Of course. you can also stop motion with your flash:


(ISO 100, f5.6, 1/125)

But that's a topic for another thread...

[davew]

As a new Nikonian, I'll contribute.

The answer is simple - you need a fast shutter speed to stop the ceiling fan.

That's it...lesson over.


OK, maybe you knew that. So let's talk about how to get a fast shutter speed. Exposure 101 - there are three things that contribute to exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Using a combination of these you (or the camera) make a decision on how much light will hit the sensor and make the image.

For many scenes, you can choose any combination of shutter speed/aperture/ISO to get proper exposure, but when you are trying to stop a moving object, you have to have a fast shutter speed. So that means you have to get enough light to the sensor using a combination of aperture and ISO.

The more light you can get to the sensor using aperture and ISO, the faster your SS can be.

Lets start with aperture. I took the following images of my ceiling fan at its highest setting using different aperture/shutter speed cominations to make the same exposure (Nikon D80, Nikon 50 f1.8 lens):

f5.6 aperture required a 1/125 shutter speed. Not fast enough.


f4 aperture required a 1/250 shutter speed. Not fast enough.


f2.8 aperture required a 1/500 shutter speed. Almost fast enough.


f1.8 aperture required a 1/1000 shutter speed. Finally fast enough. Bad focus do to shallower depth of focus at f1.8 - everything's a tradeoff!



So by opening up my aperture I was able to let more light in, allowing me to use faster shutter speeds.

That's why fast glass is so important to sports shooters. It's also a lot more expensive, and usually a lot bigger and heavier.


But what if your lens only opens up to f4 (like the kit lens)? You still need to get more light to the sensor in order to be able to use a faster shutter speed. You can do this by bumping up your ISO. Using just the ISO I can achieve the same results as above:

f5.6 aperture requires a 1/125 shutter speed at ISO100. Not fast enough.
f5.6 aperture required a 1/250 shutter speed at ISO200. Not fast enough.
f5.6 aperture required a 1/500 shutter speed at ISO400. Almost fast enough.
f5.6 aperture required a 1/1000 shutter speed at ISO1600. Finally fast enough.

Bottom line is to use the combination of aperture and ISO to stop the motion. Buying an f2.8 telephoto will really help get the fast shutter speeds!


Of course. you can also stop motion with your flash:


(ISO 100, f5.6, 1/125)

But that's a topic for another thread...

Your Post should be a sticky

So it looks like for my sons football games next year it might be time to plunk down some big cash for a better 70-300 I see the lower the F = the better it is for lighting also and my little 70-300mm for bright daylight may be fine but when the clouds roll on there goes the action shots and action shots in burst mode.

These are the tips I like
short sweet to the point.

Thank You