450D & a 'nifty fifty'

G

Gray21

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Name
Graeme
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Hi,

Still new to all this - I'm wondering what my expectations should be with this outfit. I'm looking at some of the shots that are shown on this site, and I recognise many of them are made with much better gear (and people who know what they are doing) - but they appear to be a million miles from what I have achieved so far - not a great deal better than snaps really.

Just wondered if anyone was using similar sort of kit and what results they had achieved?

Thanks for reading - Gray
 
I have really enjoyed my nifty fifty on my 40D. I don't think your gear will limit you much, but perhaps it just takes some time and practice to get the composition, focus, and exposure that you're after.
 
Joe T said:
Would you like to show us some of your shots? And also let us know why you arent so happy with them? The guys on here can give you some advice on how to improve. :)
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Thanks Joe - forgive my ignorance, but my shots are all in iPhoto - is there an easy way to size them for uploading on to tp?
 
Joe T said:
Would you like to show us some of your shots? And also let us know why you arent so happy with them? The guys on here can give you some advice on how to improve. :)
Click to expand...

Here we go Joe - not sure if I've sized it right. I took it yesterday at my nephews first birthday party. Don't think the on body flash helped.

All comments very welcome - Gray
IMG_0666.jpg
 
what mode are you shooting?
buy a book called understanding exposure by bryan peterson as a starting point..helped me immensley
 
timmygcsc2308 said:
what mode are you shooting?
buy a book called understanding exposure by bryan peterson as a starting point..helped me immensley
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Av mode.

Thanks for the book tip - I've brought it actually. Think I'd better read it again!
 
timmygcsc2308 said:
what mode are you shooting?
buy a book called understanding exposure by bryan peterson as a starting point..helped me immensley
Click to expand...

i agree, i bought this for my dad last year, and had a flick through it before i gave it to him, it was quite good, needless to say he wasnt read any of it, infact he still needs coaxing out of the green square whenever hes got his camera out near me!
 
On camera flash is not a flattering way to illuminate a subject when shooting portraits, check out www.strobist.com to see what can be achieved with off-camera flash.

I often use my 40D and 50mm f1.4 (so, not a million miles away from your kit) and use that extra wide aperture to get enough available light to shoot with and use the inbuilt flash on a very low setting to add a little sparkle to the eyes.
 
I'm using a 450d and currently on the body is the nifty fifty. now i havnt been out much with the camera recently, but the pictures of the dogs and random shots from around the house seem good. i just need to find some time to get out! and avoid the onboard flash ;)
 
subseasniper said:
On camera flash is not a flattering way to illuminate a subject when shooting portraits, check out www.strobist.com to see what can be achieved with off-camera flash.

I often use my 40D and 50mm f1.4 (so, not a million miles away from your kit) and use that extra wide aperture to get enough available light to shoot with and use the inbuilt flash on a very low setting to add a little sparkle to the eyes.
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Thanks Subseasniper - I didn't even know you could adjust the onboard flash - time for me to get the manual out again I guess.

Thank you for the comments.
 
Rozzy said:
I'm using a 450d and currently on the body is the nifty fifty. now i havnt been out much with the camera recently, but the pictures of the dogs and random shots from around the house seem good. i just need to find some time to get out! and avoid the onboard flash ;)
Click to expand...

Can we some Rozzy?
 
I've only got ye-olde-worlde 350d, but I've got a nifty-fifty [f1.8] - and [I think] I took a few nice snaps at a family-organised cricket match the other day - check out the portrait shots in:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/npd_1979/sets/72157607382345159/

I just set it to Av with aperture set to 1.8, and then click away! Some are better than others, but main thing I've found with this lens is that although the background is out of focus, it's far better if it's still "interesting" - all one colour, or with fine details that get lost when not in focus leave it just looking dull, I find.
 
Snap_Happy said:
I've only got ye-olde-worlde 350d, but I've got a nifty-fifty [f1.8] - and [I think] I took a few nice snaps at a family-organised cricket match the other day - check out the portrait shots in:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/npd_1979/sets/72157607382345159/

I just set it to Av with aperture set to 1.8, and then click away! Some are better than others, but main thing I've found with this lens is that although the background is out of focus, it's far better if it's still "interesting" - all one colour, or with fine details that get lost when not in focus leave it just looking dull, I find.
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Thanks Snap_Happy - I liked a lot of these - felt like you were part of the action!
 
Some of the best photos in the world have been taken by photographers with much less camera than yours... good photos are all about the man behind the lens... not the camera you have.... you could have the best kit in the world... but if you dont have the eye for a good pic and a little tech knowledge behind you... you will never take good pics... Persist with it... look at other peoples work... and most of all learn from your own work... learn about exposure and the workings of your camera... know its pros and cons and work with them....

A digital field guide for your 450D would be a good purchase... these are produced by wiley... I have just recently bought one for my 5D and my eyes where opened!
 
Hi dude, as others have said, I dont think your kit will limit you as such. As soon as I bought my nifty, I began learning straight away, and i've learnt more in this past 6 months or so by using it, than I learnt from the other 18 months.

I've only recently upgraded to a 40D, but for the last 20 months or so i've had a 400D and even with the nifty on that, it's produced some super sharp shots.

This was shot with my 400D & the nifty fifty attatched with an aperture of f/2.8.

2700846710_efd28aa81a_o.jpg


It's a super sharp lens for cheap money, because it's prime (fixed focal length) you have to look for the shot & move around, rather than just zooming in or out to frame the photo, and your photography will improve a lot when using it. I found that it MAKES you learn, because otherwise you wont get the best out of it, so it's definatly a lens I'd only get without if I upgraded to something similar (like the 50mm f/1.4).

Go for it dude!
 
Thanks for all the encouragement guys - really appreciate the supportive nature of this place.

Just need to get out and take more shots I guess.

Thanks
 
Ive seen them in the borders books near me... that's where I got mine... but prob have them on line too...

M
 
I've not had my nifty for long (I'm using a Nikon) but i find its really sharp but you have to work harder for the shot than with a zoom (also no autofocus on the D40x) so you find out a lot more about what makes an image work.
I took these last week.

Elton-Flash-Sunset-1.jpg


Elton-Flash-Sunset-2-pano.jpg


I know its not generally used as a landscape lens but it works really well. Keep practising and adjusting settings (and making notes about what you did) and you'll find a great improvement really quickly.

Andy
 
Gray21 said:
Thanks for all the encouragement guys - really appreciate the supportive nature of this place.

Just need to get out and take more shots I guess.

Thanks
Click to expand...

It'll come mate, just keep practising.
 
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