Beginner 2 basic questions (panning + AF mode)

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I have 2 questions:

1. I tried do panning photos but I got 2 different "effects"

- everything is blurred = main object is not focused

- sometimes photo seems to be good with focused main object, but the blur is not big as I would like to get

And I dont know what Im doing wrong? I dont know how to set up shutter speed. How fast should it be?

2. Usually Im doing street photography. Sometimes I hold my camera and when Im walking Im trying to take a photo. And because Im moving not every picture is sharp. I dont know why, I have body with stabilisation.

I was thinking about AF Mode. Im not sure if is important in my situation? I tried custom multi and 49-area but I couldnt see any difference.



I will be really grateful for help!
 



I see… kinda tricky.
  1. Go for one point AF with all the point active so you
    may select which will be active.
  2. When you pan, the speed of your pan will determine
    the SS. If a slow pan a slower SS is suggested
  3. Use CF and, if possible, BBF and on manual mode
Go slow and have a good time!
 



… and btw, :welcome: to TP! :cool:
 
Hi and welcome to TP

I have 2 questions:

1. I tried do panning photos but I got 2 different "effects"

- everything is blurred = main object is not focused

- sometimes photo seems to be good with focused main object, but the blur is not big as I would like to get

And I dont know what Im doing wrong? I dont know how to set up shutter speed. How fast should it be?

Panning is a technique requiring specific camera settings and camera handling methods ~ can you post links to some examples of what you are trying to emulate (note ~ please do not embed other photographers pictures but put the link only)

Seeing examples of what you are trying to achieve will aid others in understanding what to advise & help with :)

Also, do post examples of your pictures so that we can see what you are getting. These as they are your images can be posted in this thread ;)

2. Usually Im doing street photography. Sometimes I hold my camera and when Im walking Im trying to take a photo. And because Im moving not every picture is sharp. I dont know why, I have body with stabilisation.

I will be really grateful for help!
You are expecting way too much from the camera! Image stabilization in the camera or the lens (make and body/lens combos vary).

Such IS is for overcoming muscle tremor causing slight camera shake when taking still pictures especially when handholding at low to very shutter speeds. Also, helps when doing video shooting.

It was not and is not intended to compensate for movement of walking at the time of shutter release. Stills or video shooting..........it is not a miracle worker, as such you will need to learn it's limitations and how to get the best of what that feature offers.

If you look up "stabilization gimbals" you find devices starting at approx £600 that do perform like a ''steadycam" device that is used in video shootng. You are maybe confusing what can be done in one situation with another?

Lastly, can you tell us what your previous camera usage experience is like....... .is this maybe your first camera?
 
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Just another point to consider, and that is the distance you are shooting at. I would suggest trying at a distance and master that then start taking shots that are closer..Then again it depends on the speed of the subject.as to shutter speed etc etc A lot more to consider than just taking a straight forward stills shot.

For this shot below I had already picked out where I wanted to get the shot and set the camera up for that spot , then waited for the Afghan hound to get there. So tracking it until it reached that point then took the shot. So the dog more or less in focus with a blurred background
If that is of any help
ZDugVB9.jpg



as distance is relative to blur background this shot below show everything in focus more or less. So as I said distance plays a big part

PadssBa.jpg
 
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Hi, welcome to TP. Firstly; photography isn’t ‘difficult’ but it does require some understanding and practice if you want to produce more than just snaps.

So your current questions (5 not 2)

1. everything is blurred = main object is not focused
‘Not focussed’ or still suffering motion blur? As above use a single focus point that’ll track the subject, use continuous AF mode, but be aware panning is an advanced technique that takes a lot of practice. Worth putting in the effort though.

- sometimes photo seems to be good with focused main object, but the blur is not big as I would like to get

That’s because your shutter speed is too high, there’s complex maths to work it out if you want to, or just use trial and error till you get the results you want.

And I dont know what Im doing wrong? I dont know how to set up shutter speed. How fast should it be?

As above, there’s maths, but be aware that subject distance, and subject speed are part of the equation, it’s not as simple as ‘use 1/60 and you’ll be fine’, my panning shots vary from 1/15 to 1/250 of a sec.

2. Usually Im doing street photography. Sometimes I hold my camera and when Im walking Im trying to take a photo. And because Im moving not every picture is sharp. I dont know why, I have body with stabilisation.

You can’t shoot photographs whilst you’re walking and expect results (well I can’t, and I’ve been shooting 30 years),

I was thinking about AF Mode. Im not sure if is important in my situation? I tried custom multi and 49-area but I couldnt see any difference.

Back to my first answer, you need to choose what the subject is, by choosing the appropriate AF point, and continuous AF if it’s moving or one shot if it’s stationary. Auto cameras are great, but really don’t understand what you’re wanting to photograph.
 
First up, I would turn the AF 'off'... being a bit luddite, I lived without the gimmick well enough for thirty odd years, and managed well enough..

For panning shots we used to exploit Depth-of-Field... using a tighter aperture to get more front to-back DoF.. you are going to blurr the background with camera movement, so why worry about making it blurry with wide-aperture? Stop-Down, get a big DoF zone in which your moving subject will stay as you move the camera... no need to have AF let alone AF hunting or trying to shift focus point as you move... or before, when you are composing.

Eg; racing car on a track; turn off AF, focus on the track where car will be passing, set aperture to get both sides of track in the DoF zone, plus a bit of verge either side.. car comes into view... pan with car, release shutter.. car stays in the DoF zone, stays in focus, back-ground streaks as the camera moves.

As to shutter speed, as has been said, would depend on the circumstance, and how fast the subject traveled through the scene.... usual mistake with panning though is to believe you want a slow shutter.... and set far too low a shutter speed... increasing the range you have to pan through with the shutter open, and possible blurr you will get in the subject as well as back-ground.

As Phil's suggestion anything up to 1/250th may not be too fast to pan.... and possibly even faster... depending on lens and subject distance, I have got panning shots as high as 1/500th or 1/100th, which was fastest shutter speed on most of my film cameras!

Street-Photography.... Image stabilization... agrgh.. more Luddite advice.... turn the ruddy thing 'off'. Doing shutter-speed limbo with my daughter and O/H, the 'claims' it can let you hand hold to three shutter speeds slower, is err... debateable! With shutter speeds set in 1/3 stop increments on many modern Digi-cams, that may actually mean only one stop slower, not three... but either way, good hand-holding technique, cradling camera, tucking elbows, using optical viewfinder not back-screen, good stance, moderating breathing, and squeezing shutter button not snatching.. possible to hand-hold as low or even lower than suggested IS might 'assist'..... and if you don't have good hand-holding.... IS wont do it for you or compensate much if at all... so lean to hold a camera properly... and that means STOP WALKING!

I cant imagine trying to take a photo whilst walking without poking myself in the eye... oh, yeah, back-screen.... trying to be unobtrusive perhaps not looking like you are looking through a camera.....

That said, has been my favorite 'trick' for 'candids' over the years to 'fire-blind', usually with little XA2 film compact, over or under my shoulder, or at arms length whilst talking to some-one so they don't consciously register the camera, or that they are being snapped.... which was a great trick before camera-phones and got me some great shots.... but is rather hit and miss, and does take practice.... B-U-T... that is the key, knowing what you are about, and like panning, exploiting DoF, knowing what the lens' coverage is going to be, and having good idea what to expect to start with, and not relying on IS to keep the camera steady, but still being a bit sensible about camera holding, and using suitable shutter-speeds etc,

Question seems to be to very much be one of technology over technique, and a hope that the technology will compensate for a lack of technique..... turn it around; work on the technique, turn off the gimihs like AF and IS, and learn how to use the camera and make it work for you.....

Little hobby-horse grumble, but I imagine you have some notion of 'shooting manual' and selecting your own aperture and shutter speeds, rather than letting the Auto-Exposure system do it for you...... say it time after time, but Manual EXPOSURE is only one ',manual' control on the camera.. just the one with a nice easily identified dial setting marked "Manual"... its not the only one, and manual focus is probably far more useful and has far more reason to be used.. yet so seldom is!

But does seem to me the problem is merely expecting the camera to do more for you than you can, relying on the 'automatic easements' and pushing them to the buffers of their capability and never getting the fundamental technique behind them.
 
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