[erica36426]

I love to take photos of waterfalls. I have a 18-55 and a 55-300 lens. Would a 16-50 lens be better? I'm totally new at this and I'm learning as I go. This is just a hobby I have enjoyed for fun and for stress relief. I'm still learning the aperture and shutter speed which is not easy. I really want the soft "angelic" look for my waterfalls. Please, any input would be greatly appreciated!

[jatrax]

Hi Erica, and welcome. Yes the 16-50 is 'better' but I would suggest you learn your present lenses before spending a lot of money on a new lens. For taking waterfall shots you need a good tripod and some ND filters more than the 16-50.

You might want to start with a book called "Understanding Exposure" by Brian Peterson, it has been around awhile, I think it is in fourth edition so your library will have it if you do not want to buy, but it is not expensive.

For waterfalls you need a slow shutter speed. I usually start at about 1 sec and then adjust up or down to get the look I want. To do that you need a good sturdy tripod, not a cheap box store one. And you will most likely need a set of ND filters although you can try stopping your lens way down to f/13 or f/16 and if it is not too bright that might work. I prefer bright but completely overcast days as any beams of sunlight will cause hotspots that ruin the image. I also use a circular polarizer to cut down on glare and improve the colors.

One suggestion would be to get a 28mm, 35mm or 50mm manual lens with CPL and ND filters and tripod. Something like the Pentax A 50mm f/1.7 which can be found for $50 - 75 used. This gets you a good waterfall kit without spending a lot. You really do not need autofocus for this anyway.

This one was f/16 for 8 seconds with the DA 21mm lens, and I think it might be just a bit too long.

[interested_observer]

Welcome to the Forum,

Photography is capital intensive. It is really easy to go broke purchasing gear. You have two lenses that spans 18 to 300, essentially covering everything from wide angle to telephoto. The lens are very capable.

• https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/45425-kit-lens-club.html

Rather than fall in to the Lens Buying Addiction (LBA), just go out and take pictures with what you have. For wider you can stitch with Microsoft ICE (a free download).

• Microsoft Research Image Composite Editor (ICE)

You can take long exposure images at night. There is no end of things you can do..... You already have all the tools you for 90% of the stuff that you might imagine.

[fgaudet]

If you are new to this, these "angelic" waterfalls pictures are not an easy start. The technique is not that hard but properly understanding exposure is a must. However, if you're willing to learn, nothing prevents you from trying to figure it out as you go along. The trick for this effect is to expose your picture long enough for the water to begin to blur (5 seconds to a minute depending on flow). Aside from a camera there are two things which you will need; A decent tripod and a Neutral Density filter. I could go in more details but it does get a bit technical and if you do not master your camera and its settings yet, you'll just get lost.

For a beginner, the 18-55 is very acceptable, not great at anything but decent enough to create great photos. The 16-50 is better for sure but until you get the hangs of it, it will be wasted money IMO and once you figured out a few things, you may want to go with prime lenses instead of zooms. And as you go, you will see if you require a wider lens, a longer lens, a faster lens or whatever.

Read, try, fiddle around with your camera, read some more, try different things and work hard at understanding all everything works and to begin with, try to get properly exposed images, work on composition and on your technique, if you try to skip too many steps, you're gonna have a hard time.

This whole thing may seem technical at first and it may take a while to figure it out but once you'll get it, it'll be almost second nature to play with your settings to get what you want. But it does require some (little) commitment if you want to learn. As soon as you get the basics out of the way, you'll discover a whole new world of opportunities.

Someone posted a bunch of free photography e-books recently, some might help. I'll see if I can find the link.

Here is the link:

http://www.lightstalking.com/23-more-ebooks-for-photographers-that-are-completely-free

It was posted on the forums by someone else, but I can't remember who, so credits to Poster X and not me

---

Last edited by fgaudet; 09-01-2014 at 07:17 PM. Reason: Added link

[sabreuse]

There's very little difference between your 18-55 and a 16-50 for the effect you want to get -- instead of new toys (and I know -- it's ALWAYS tempting to get new lenses!!) you should experiment with your exposure. For the soft-focus waterfall look, you'll need to use a slower shutter speed, and then balance that with a smaller aperture (Which is denoted by a larger number. Confusing at first, I know.)

There's no substitute for experimentation with this -- pick a day when you have time & good weather, take a tripod out to your favorite waterfall, and shoot a whole lot of shots, making adjustments as you go: In Tv mode, adjust your shutter speed and observe how the camera compensates by adjusting the aperture, then compare the results. You'll have a good day out, you'll learn a lot about how exposure works, and hopefully get some shots you like in the process.

[Kerrowdown]

Welcome to the forum, I see that you've already got loads of good advice here already, one more bit... enjoy your photography.

[Des]

Welcome Erica. I like your approach to photography as fun and stress relief.

You got some top advice already.

If you haven't got a tripod (or haven't got it with you) you can still get good results with a little imagination. For example, you can try using a jacket on a rock as an improvised "tripod", and use delayed shutter release. Some people carry little bags of rice or dried beans for just this purpose.

To pick up some more tips, have a look at the photos in this thread to see how people have done it:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/26-mini-challenges-games-photo-stories/17...ing-water.html
The EXIF information for each photo shows the shutter speed, aperture and ISO used, as well as the camera and lens combination.

As Kerrowdown said, Enjoy.

[erica36426]

Hi Erica, and welcome. Yes the 16-50 is 'better' but I would suggest you learn your present lenses before spending a lot of money on a new lens. For taking waterfall shots you need a good tripod and some ND filters more than the 16-50.

You might want to start with a book called "Understanding Exposure" by Brian Peterson, it has been around awhile, I think it is in fourth edition so your library will have it if you do not want to buy, but it is not expensive.

For waterfalls you need a slow shutter speed. I usually start at about 1 sec and then adjust up or down to get the look I want. To do that you need a good sturdy tripod, not a cheap box store one. And you will most likely need a set of ND filters although you can try stopping your lens way down to f/13 or f/16 and if it is not too bright that might work. I prefer bright but completely overcast days as any beams of sunlight will cause hotspots that ruin the image. I also use a circular polarizer to cut down on glare and improve the colors.

One suggestion would be to get a 28mm, 35mm or 50mm manual lens with CPL and ND filters and tripod. Something like the Pentax A 50mm f/1.7 which can be found for $50 - 75 used. This gets you a good waterfall kit without spending a lot. You really do not need autofocus for this anyway.

This one was f/16 for 8 seconds with the DA 21mm lens, and I think it might be just a bit too long.

Thank you so much. I know I have a lot to learn but its exciting and challenging at the same time! Your input is much appreciated