A Few from the Minolta 50mm

[sparkie1263]

My oldest daughter had her birthday party tonight. Here are a few from the party.

Frank
My oldest Daughter coming in


My Daughter and Three Grandchildren



Grandson Matthew



Youngest Daughter and Granddaughter



Angelena eating Cake

[DonSchap]

Frank ... just a question ... "pop-up" flash?

[Rooz]

beautiful family. that little girl is gorgeous. wow.

as for the shots...not sure what the point is of you asking questions about how to improve your flash photography technique, receiving alot of good advice, but then ignoring it every time. i give up.

[Turn]

Rooz has a point

[sparkie1263]

Sorry Rooz I keep trying. I will get it right sooner or later. Yes Don the pop-up flash. I tried without the flash just couldn't get any good shots. I am going to to tell everybody to have afternoon outside parties only or I am leaving my camera home.
Thanks
Frank

[dr4gon]

Try this. A mode, F/2.8. slow sync flash, 200 or 400ISO

or S mode, 1/20, 200 or 400 ISO, slow sync or regular flash.

[millz]

Im a novice dont get me wrong but isnt that the reason for buying the 42 or 58 flash so that u can bounce it off the ceiling or the wall. Ive found my pics come out way better doing this type of flash they always look bad using the pop up flash

[DonSchap]

Oh, we are just a picky bunch, Frank. Everyone is looking to avoid the nefarious "hotspots"
and other trade mark pop-up drawbacks, that tend to really reduce the quality of the
image. Let's face it, that's the whole reason "movable head" elex flashes were developed ...
height and bounce-ability

You are trying to get a whole lot out of a "pop-up" and unfortunately ... it just won't give it.
You are floating in a sea of people who all struggle with this very same issue ... and they
instantly see the problems. If you were to show these images to your "average Joe" ... that
person would not give it a passing thought. It's a real catch-22 posting on a photoboard.
The wolves are out there and they are howling ...

I used a pop-up and a kit lens, on Christmas, when I first got my Canon and just look at
what happened!



Just kidding ... you can see the subjects are holding a wirelessly triggered elex flash each, at
their waist. With that drag-shutter technique, I was able to merge the tree, with a
2-second exposure, as they stepped away. Call it a "double-exposure in a single shot."

A mixed lighting marvel ... I suppose shooting this through a blue filter would have reduced
the mixed effect, but I was just screwing around with the idea. Frank ... I know what you are
thinking ... "I can see-through what you're doing."

[dr4gon]

Im a novice dont get me wrong but isnt that the reason for buying the 42 or 58 flash so that u can bounce it off the ceiling or the wall. Ive found my pics come out way better doing this type of flash they always look bad using the pop up flash

Definitely a off the ceiling bounce would do a world of improvement for everyone. It's quite stunning the difference. I think a flash should be next on your list Frank. It would make the kit lens look good!

[DonSchap]

The 50mm f/1.7 takes a little practice to make work for you, of that there is no doubt. It is not a magic bullet ... but a good bullet. You still need to practice just shooting something "non-living" (because, this takes some patience between snapping and inspecting each shot) for a couple hundred shots ... adjusting, finding out and just getting a "feel" for what works in low-light ... and remembering it (write it down and then go get the cutie!).

Some of my best practice sessions took place with three candles and the 50mm f/1.4. I photographed a shiny sphere ... because you can easily determine depth of field using a reflective curved or angled surface. Also, it easier to focus on (in the dark). Talk about thrilling ... for the first few shots ... I couldn't see ****, uh, I mean squat! I thought the camera was broke or something. Then as I adjusted down ... I began to see the image and the fun really began ... I also got out the tripod! Somethings never change.

Unfortunately, the α100 exacerbates the problem because of its inherent high-ISO/noise limitiations. It is a nicer ride on a less noisy sensor, to be sure. So, bearing that in mind, how do we compensate for limited ISO? That's right ... longer shutter speed and hence, the tripod. So, you set for your best "noise-free" ISO setting -> 400 and begin there.

BTW: I got my Minolta 24mm f/2.8 and 28mm f/2.8 PRIMES back from repair, today. I have to say the 24mm has had a massive improvement in its focus, but the 28mm ... not so much. It is still a little "iffy" but within acceptable limits. I have had that lens since 1985. I shot it against the TAMRON 28-75mm (which had also been recently adjust by TAMRON), at the wide-end and they are returning very close results. So, there it is.

Unfortunately, the KM AF 24-105mm f/3.5-4.5 "D" is looking to be a bit more serious than I hoped. They are shipping it back to SONY(Konica/Minolta) for deeper evaluation and correction. So, who knows how long that could take? To be honest, I have to say that you don't miss a lens if you cannot get a good result with it. The SONY (18-70) kit lens has been "on the shelf" for almost as long as I have had the α100. Besides, I have the 24-105mm range well covered with the TAMRONs.