Can someone break it down for me? A Coles notes on terminology etc?

[Gadget_Guy]

Hi,

If someone can either lay it out in an easy to understand manner as it pertains to the K10D and various lenses for the following terms I would be forever grateful.

I tried searching and googling and everything I am finding is way too technical for my newbie brain or it talks about settings on a camera I don't have or know.

Can the following be explained (and if you can relate it to the K10D and its settings that woudl be super)

Depth of Field
Aperature (why 2.8 for some, why 22 for others, why in the middle)
Focal Length
Shutter Speed

I just want my shots to look sharp and good.


I thought I was doing the right thing the other day and yet my shots are not exactly how I would have liked them.

I shot a car show and found that I had a lot of out of focus areas that I had hoped would be in focus.

So obviously I am not getting it ..... if someone could just explain to me these elements in a way it relates to my camera I would appreciate it.

(or if there is a site that I can go to....)

D.

[Tom S.]

What you are asking for is a crash course in photography. All of these terms are interrelated, so just explaining them is only half the info you need.

Ansel Adams wrote a series of books,
Book 1: the Camera
Book 2: the Negative
Book 3: the Print.

All three are excellent, but I especially recommend Book 1 to you. It was written during the film era, but all the information in it still pertains to cameras, be they film or digital. Not only does it explain the terms you are questioning, but also explains how they interact with each other. Although the book isn't expensive, you might be able to find a copy at your local library.

[Gadget_Guy]

Thank you!

I will see if my local library has it... if not maybe a used copy of ebay might be able to be found.


D.

[Venturi]

1. Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition): Bryan Peterson

2. Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second: Bryan Peterson

Grab those two books either at Amazon or local book store. They're short and succinct and full of practical exersizes - you'll know the photographic triangle fully and have a new perspective on things by the end of the weekend.

[flyer]

Here is a crash course;
Depth of field is the apparent sharp area on the picture. It varies with the aperture. The smaller the aperture (large f number), the larger the depth of field.
The aperture is the opening in the lens diaphragm that lets you control the amount of light that hits the sensor. It also control the depth of field. Small aperture number means large opening and shallow depth of field. Large aperture number (like f:16 or f:22) means small opening and large depth of field. The numbers representing the opening are a fraction of the focal length (like f:22 =1/22 of the focal length)
Focal length is the measure of the distance of the optical center of a lens to the image sensor in millimeters. The longer the focal lenght, the larger the telephoto effect. Note that a longer focal length has a shallower depth of field at a given f number than a short focal length.
the shutter speed is the second mean to control the amount of light that reaches the sensor. The faster the speed, the less light will hit the sensor. At long shutter speed (like 1/30 sec or longer) you will likely see some blurring due to subject or camera (or both) movement.
The usual aperture numbers are f:2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 and 22. Each of these number are a mathematical progression, meaning that at f:11, you have half the light going thru than f:8.
The shutter speeds are going in the same mathematical relation:...1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250...and so on. They halve or double each other, depending wether you are going one way or the other, so if you open your lens from let's say f:8 to f:5.6, you will nseed to put a faster shutter speed (like from 1/60 sec to 1/125 sec) to have the same quantity of light reaching the sensor, but having less depth of field at the same time. I hope you can do something with this crash course.
good luck!

[OniFactor]

Originally Posted by Tom S.

What you are asking for is a crash course in photography. All of these terms are interrelated, so just explaining them is only half the info you need.

Ansel Adams wrote a series of books,
Book 1: the Camera
Book 2: the Film
Book 3: the Print.

All three are excellent, but I especially recommend Book 1 to you. It was written during the film era, but all the information in it still pertains to cameras, be they film or digital. Not only does it explain the terms you are questioning, but also explains how they interact with each other. Although the book isn't expensive, you might be able to find a copy at your local library.

i have to correct this. the second book is The Negative, not the film. it covers everything from film processing, to composure

[Tom S.]

Originally Posted by OniFactor

i have to correct this. the second book is The Negative, not the film. it covers everything from film processing, to composure

You are right! Brain farts strike again!!

[BBear]

def get Bryans books... and the first should be Understanding Exposure, it will answer al your questions.


Now i am curious about something else, how could u have 300+ posts and only now be askng these questions? LOL!

[Gadget_Guy]

Originally Posted by BBear

def get Bryans books... and the first should be Understanding Exposure, it will answer al your questions.


Now i am curious about something else, how could u have 300+ posts and only now be askng these questions? LOL!

I am a happy guy, my local library has them. Just put them on reserve for me.



I want to take my shots to the next level. I have been just taking mediocre shots and I THOUGHT I knew what I was doing... Having a conversation with a fellow camera guy the other day pretty much nailed it for me that I have no clue what I am actually doing.....

I had assumed it was the hardware that made good shot and that if I got a good camera, good lenses, and all the good accessories I would have stellar shots... (Yes I realize this is somewhat insulting to the pros that are true artists and that they could take stellar photos with the crappiest cameras on the market......) I mean no disrespect and if anything it makes me appreciate those people even more.

I think this revelation makes me appreciate the art of photograhy even more.

I would like to start knowing more about what I am doing rather than just clicking and praying.......

I am in awe by some of the work seen on this site and one day I would love for someone to be impressed by my photos..... that is going to take me understanding what I need to be doing.

I am an avid fan of photography ever since the K1000 I had in high school, used all the way though university, then my MZ-7 that I bought in 2001, and now the K10D that I bought about 6 months ago... I am realizing now that my "spray and pray" attidude has to change if I want good shot.


D.

[Russell-Evans]

I suggest starting with page 138 and 139 in K10D Operating Manual.

I found reading about the Ultimate Exposure Computer pretty helpful. This part of the page is specifically about your question, but I suggest reading the whole thing.

It is easier for me to understand DOF, if I can apply some numbers to it. The On Line Depth of Field Calculator provides information like this:

Camera, film format, or circle of confusion: Pentax K20D,K10D

Focal length (mm): 50
Selected f-stop: 2.8
Subject distance: 10 ft

Depth of field

Near limit: 9.36 ft
Far limit: 10.7 ft
Total: 1.36 ft
In front of subject: 0.64 ft (47%)
Behind subject: 0.73 ft (53%)

If you would like a more in depth technical look, the Digital Photography Tutorials at Cambridge in Colour are pretty informative.

Thank you
Russell