Crisis of "faith"/brand/etc and a bit of resolution

[laydros]

In the first set
f2.8@1/15th camera shake
f2.8@1/30th Best
f2.8@1/60th looks OK but losing detail to noise when pixel peeping
f2.8@1/125th again looks OK but losing more detail to noise when pixel peeping
Then, I don't see much point in pixel peeping, how the picture looks is most important and all four look OK.

Similar story on the second set but the noise looks more prominent in 3 and 4 just looking at the pics.

Going back to the first set I used f2.8 to get a low shutter speed and simulate a situation where it was necessary to up the shutter speed.
In reality in this situation I would have used f1.7 to gain 1½ and then pushed another stop.

However Jason thinks his images were soft at f1.7 so that may not be an option for him. I though the images were fine apart from the one with the baby but we don't know the XIF data. Also I'd guess that the taking distance for the baby picture was about 7feet which, at f2.8, fixes the DOF at only 8" total. The lady in back and the Guiness glass look sharpest so I'm guessing that the Lady was the focus point and that the "softness" is likely a focus (DOF) issue.

Yeah, the focus was on the lady in the back. I actually was trying to take a picture of her, but got my wife and daughter in the picture, so they were out of focus. However if you blow up the shots, not even to 100%, the 50 f/1.7 starts looking very soft wide open, as most lenses do. Of course this problem can be mostly fixed by getting the f/1.4, its probably sharper wide open than the f/1.7 is, and it is almost certainly sharper when the two are at the same aperture.

I knew it would be soft wide open, but in that kind of darkness, sometimes the high-ISO and wide open lens are the only choice to actually get the shot.

[millz]

HEY ROOZ,

Doesnt your own forum need you, go away. We got everything handled here dont really need you. Thanks though we appreciate it.

[Peekayoh]

OK here's some more food for thought.

Control Image - ISO200 f2.8 @ 1/50th +1EV

[Peekayoh]

ISO 1600 f2.8 @ 1/320th
top half using camera noise reduction
bottom half as last but run through Noise Ninja as well

[Peekayoh]

ISO 3200 f2.8 @ 1/1000th
top half using camera noise reduction
bottom half as last but run through Noise Ninja as well

I did try with High ISO noise reduction turned off and ran it through Noise Ninja but I didn't get as a good a result as doing it this way.

[seanhoxx]

Peter, to my untrained photo eye here is what I see. The ISO 1600 with in camera the 50mm lens to the right looks dead sharp, very nice, almost 3D feel to it. the Noise Ninja seems to be softer overall the whole image.
Now at ISO 3200 the Noise Ninja really seems to improve the whole shot. Does this seem to be correct? I am trying to 'learn' how to see images "correctly"

Also Peek I picked the second shot in first set f2.8 at 1/30 as the 'best' also so I think I am getting it.

[seanhoxx]

Also as a general comment reading this thread and talking about 2.8 as opposed to 1.8 adjusting shutter speed and ev.. comp really makes me wish I had paid more attention to math class in high school!! I understand the concept and the 'formulas' but man I have to stop and think it out to far / to long. So pass that on to your kids in school if they have a interest in photography!!

[DonSchap]

Sean ... this is where practice certainly can play an important role in learning the camera's three aspects in exposure. It has been discussed many, many times, in the past ... and always good to review.

I was wondering is a test might not be a bad thing, just to give people a chance to fill in the BLANK?

[sparkie1263]

I smell a Pop Quiz coming. We better study.
Frank

[DonSchap]

Exposure equivalencies
Lens Range: 135mm f/1.8-22

EV
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/60
ISO: 800

Available camera settings:

Aperture: f/1.8, 2, 2.2, 2.5, 2.8, 3.2, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.6, 6.3, 7.1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22

Shutter Speed: BULB, 30”, 25”, 20”, 15”, 13”, 10”, 8”, 6”, 5”, 4”, 3.2”, 2.5”, 2”, 1.6”, 1.3”, 1”, 0.8”, 0.6”, 0.5”, 4” , 1/3, ¼, 1/5, 1/6, 1/8, 1/10, 1/13, 1/15, 1/20, 1/25, 1/30, 1/40, 1/50, 1/60, 1/80, 1/100, 1/125, 1/160, 1/200, 1/250, 1/320, 1/400, 1/500, 1/640, 1/800, 1/1000, 1/1250, 1/1600, 1/2000, 1/2500, 13200, 1/4000, 1/5000, 1/6400, 1/8000

ISO Settings: 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400

Equivalent Settings:


"HEY, YOU! No using your camera, either!" (or lightmeter, for that matter, wise-guy!)