First attempt kids

[Iren]

It's in your custom functions, cfn IV if I remember correctly, there's a pictogram with all the buttons, and you can allocate various functions to each button. You can use the AFon or * button to focus, but you also have to remove the focus from the shutter half press, otherwise it'll start to refocus as you go to shoot.

It's also covered in the Manual under custom functions.

Getting the camera to work how you want is important, it's a tool and shouldn't get in the way of your creativity.

There's a few members here who've witnessed me trying to use a Nikon without back button focus and who found it hilarious (like watching a dog trying to put up an umbrella)

Thanks a lot! I did it! Set to single central point focus, plus AF-ON button to focus. It will take time to get used to it, but it's so nice being in control of camera and not just pressing button and hoping it focused on the right thing. Now with the recompose technique I am able to keep focus where I want! Off to practising!

 

[Morbid]

Thanks a lot! I did it! Set to single central point focus, plus AF-ON button to focus. It will take time to get used to it, but it's so nice being in control of camera and not just pressing button and hoping it focused on the right thing. Now with the recompose technique I am able to keep focus where I want! Off to practising!

Good to hear you've done this, you're making real progress quickly and listening to the advice given.

I'll add that Simon (@juggler) is right about the reflector. I used polystyrene packaging from a washing machine initially. It worked well, and my son got me a couple of tri-grip copies from Amazon for about £10 each (he's only two). They have a mount so they can be attached to a tripod or light stand. They work perfectly fine, if a little flimsy.

There are a few threads of mine with set up shots included, if you wanted to have a look.

 

[Iren]

It's in your custom functions, cfn IV if I remember correctly, there's a pictogram with all the buttons, and you can allocate various functions to each button. You can use the AFon or * button to focus, but you also have to remove the focus from the shutter half press, otherwise it'll start to refocus as you go to shoot.

It's also covered in the Manual under custom functions.

Getting the camera to work how you want is important, it's a tool and shouldn't get in the way of your creativity.

There's a few members here who've witnessed me trying to use a Nikon without back button focus and who found it hilarious (like watching a dog trying to put up an umbrella)

I have a quick question about having single focus point..it works well if you focusing on one thing or person, but if there are two?! Do you move it back to auto? I just tried with two kids and only one is in focus

 

[juggler]

I have a quick question about having single focus point..it works well if you focusing on one thing or person, but if there are two?! Do you move it back to auto? I just tried with two kids and only one is in focus

Use a single focus point and choose one subject - but also use a larger depth of field or ensure that both subjects are on the same plane.

 

[Iren]

Use a single focus point and choose one subject - but also use a larger depth of field or ensure that both subjects are on the same plane.

Hmmm...the single focus point is not large enough for two and even if faces are close enough it still focuses on one only or even if i do it manually only 1 face will fir into the focus frame

 

[Phil V]

I have a quick question about having single focus point..it works well if you focusing on one thing or person, but if there are two?! Do you move it back to auto? I just tried with two kids and only one is in focus

What Simon said.
You have to understand that the plane of focus is just that, think of a sheet of glass cutting through your image everything in front of or behind is out of focus. But choose a high f number and more stuff becomes sharper, but it'll never be 'in focus'. With a low f number very little apart from the plane of focus will be close to sharp.

The rule of thumb (psychology in portraiture) is to focus on the nearest eye, as long as that's critically sharp, everything else is collateral damage. For a group shot I might use f/5.6 or f/8, for a couple f/4 should do it, all that depends on your composition obviously.

 

[Iren]

What Simon said.
You have to understand that the plane of focus is just that, think of a sheet of glass cutting through your image everything in front of or behind is out of focus. But choose a high f number and more stuff becomes sharper, but it'll never be 'in focus'. With a low f number very little apart from the plane of focus will be close to sharp.

The rule of thumb (psychology in portraiture) is to focus on the nearest eye, as long as that's critically sharp, everything else is collateral damage. For a group shot I might use f/5.6 or f/8, for a couple f/4 should do it, all that depends on your composition obviously.

It's clear now, thanks Phil and Simon!

 

[Iren]

Good to hear you've done this, you're making real progress quickly and listening to the advice given.

I'll add that Simon (@juggler) is right about the reflector. I used polystyrene packaging from a washing machine initially. It worked well, and my son got me a couple of tri-grip copies from Amazon for about £10 each (he's only two). They have a mount so they can be attached to a tripod or light stand. They work perfectly fine, if a little flimsy.

There are a few threads of mine with set up shots included, if you wanted to have a look.

I don't have anything at home that I could use, so I need to buy things to make DIY reflector that I can use more than once, so not sure how cost effective that will be
How can I find your threads with set up shots?

 

[Phil V]

I don't have anything at home that I could use, so I need to buy things to make DIY reflector that I can use more than once, so not sure how cost effective that will be
How can I find your threads with set up shots?

Click on his picture, profile page, postings, then at the bottom of that page there'll be a link to 'find all threads started by...', from there you'll find his shared photo threads.

 

[big soft moose]

I don't have anything at home that I could use, so I need to buy things to make DIY reflector that I can use more than once, so not sure how cost effective that will be

metalic silver mount board A1 - £3.99 http://www.londongraphics.co.uk/pro...ic-Silver-A1?gclid=COHXsL661cwCFRHhGwodPS0Hng

Bright white mount board A1 2.99 http://www.londongraphics.co.uk/pro...01062_Daler-Rowney-Mount-Board-Super-White-A1

Metallic gold mount board A1 £3.99 http://www.londongraphics.co.uk/pro...032_Daler-Rowney-Mount-Board-Metallic-Gold-A1

plus £4.99 shipping - so three huge reflectors for less than £16 - plus of course they do smaller sizes

that was the first one to come up in google - there will be numerous other options

another plus side of using bits of card/mountboard is that they are so cheap you can use blue tack /prit pads sticky velcro / duct tape etc to hold them in position without worrying about them getting trashed - ditto for using them for messy things like pictures of kids doing crafts / painting etc - if they get trashed its just a few quid to replace .. if you trash a lastolite tri reflector its rather more painful on the wallet

 

[Iren]

Thanks for the links! I'll give it a go!
I did some search for lastolie and for some reason very few places sell it online amd jessops for example only has 3 options.
As i am not sure which size i need, i'll start with something simple then

metalic silver mount board A1 - £3.99 http://www.londongraphics.co.uk/pro...ic-Silver-A1?gclid=COHXsL661cwCFRHhGwodPS0Hng

Bright white mount board A1 2.99 http://www.londongraphics.co.uk/pro...01062_Daler-Rowney-Mount-Board-Super-White-A1

Metallic gold mount board A1 £3.99 http://www.londongraphics.co.uk/pro...032_Daler-Rowney-Mount-Board-Metallic-Gold-A1

plus £4.99 shipping - so three huge reflectors for less than £16 - plus of course they do smaller sizes

that was the first one to come up in google - there will be numerous other options

another plus side of using bits of card/mountboard is that they are so cheap you can use blue tack /prit pads sticky velcro / duct tape etc to hold them in position without worrying about them getting trashed - ditto for using them for messy things like pictures of kids doing crafts / painting etc - if they get trashed its just a few quid to replace .. if you trash a lastolite tri reflector its rather more painful on the wallet

 

[juggler]

Thanks for the links! I'll give it a go!
I did some search for lastolie and for some reason very few places sell it online amd jessops for example only has 3 options.
As i am not sure which size i need, i'll start with something simple then

Quality lighting stuff is still regarded as specialist so most camera retailers don't stock much.
When you are ready to buy something try Calumet, Wex or The Flash Centre.

 

[mhamill83]

the dof is still definitly in and out on a few of the pictures, some practise with your focal points and setting and pictures would have jumped off the page, good attempt but !

 

[Phil V]

the dof is still definitly in and out on a few of the pictures, some practise with your focal points and setting and pictures would have jumped off the page, good attempt but !

<pedant> It's Focus points</pedant>
Only pointed out because it's one of those 'creeping in through the back' things, so many photographers think it's the correct description. A focal point is something you draw attention to, the little squares in our viewfinders are focus points, of course, it's perfectly normal for us to place our focus point at what we want to be a focal point, but that doesn't make the terms interchangeable
While I'm at it, for people with Canon bodies with the fancy focus system, single point focus isn't the same thing as spot focus.