DSLR Shots and Discussions

Boost_lee · 08-17-2013, 04:28 PM

Thanks! I really wish I had media access on the track for the drifting, but I did the best with what I had

Pintsize725 · 08-16-2013, 10:06 PM

The last second of an ant's life.

Titan1080 · 08-16-2013, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pintsize725

The last second of an ant's life.

I used to have green anoles as pets when I was a wee lad!!

10MPlayer · 08-16-2013, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titan1080

I used to have green anoles as pets when I was a wee lad!!

Very nice. Clean detail and the background looks like a painting. Good shot.

>>>the comment was meant for pintsize>>>

onzedge · 08-17-2013, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pintsize725

The last second of an ant's life.

Great work.

RiCharlie · 08-17-2013, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pintsize725

The last second of an ant's life.

Very nice!!

RiCharlie · 08-17-2013, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pintsize725

The last second of an ant's life.

Great shot but you know you are going to have points taken off for having the ant so high in the frame..But great lighting and subject..Must have taken a lot of time and patience!

Pintsize725 · 08-17-2013, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiCharlie

Great shot but you know you are going to have points taken off for having the ant so high in the frame..But great lighting and subject..Must have taken a lot of time and patience!

Yeah but I didn't know the ant was even there until it crawled over in the middle of some rapid fires. I was really trying to just get the detail on the little guy as he climbed.

RiCharlie · 08-17-2013, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pintsize725

Yeah but I didn't know the ant was even there until it crawled over in the middle of some rapid fires. I was really trying to just get the detail on the little guy as he climbed.

Well its a great shot anyway..and the lighting on both shots is great..interesting and eyes lit nicely..

happytheman · 08-16-2013, 11:47 PM

Fantastic shot Tarcie! You've been really improving your composition lately!

Huck · 08-17-2013, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titan1080

How grainy is really grainy? Post one of them up if you don't mind sharing. Without a tracking mount that compensates for the Earth's rotation, you're going to need to use faster ISO settings depending on the type of photo you're after and of course the lighting environment. In general, blurry shots are usually due to focusing error. I probably have the same kit lens as you and what I do is to temporarily set the rotary dial to landscape (the little mountain-shaped icon) and target the most distant thing you can see that the camera can focus on. Then flick the lens to manual focus and do your best not to touch it. Using the viewfinder is tough but possible, tougher still if you're in the city since your eyes will have trouble adapting to the dark with all the artificial light sources, even looking at a traffic light a half mile away can ruin your vision for a few minutes.

Keep your preview screen shut at all times and leave your cellphone in your pocket, that will definitely ruin your vision for up to 15 minutes if you even glance at it. The longer your eyes have to adapt, the easier you'll be able to see through the viewfinder. I also have a deep red flashlight that minimizes the impact to your eyes while allowing you to see what you're doing, you can either buy one or make one with a normal flashlight, some red mylar or whatever that plastic see-through gift wrap stuff is and some duct tape. The kit lens is definitely a good lens, probably the most versatile for astrophotography on a compact DSLR, since the 18mm level of the zoom will get you a nice wide field of view with a reasonable f/3.5 aperture. You really can't get much wider than that with a larger f/stop without spending serious cash on a full-frame lens.

Here's one of the better ones (compared to the others at least). The only thing I've done was turn up the exposure just a bit.

I survived Zdayz 2013... (barely)

Titan1080 · 08-17-2013, 01:55 AM

That's actually not bad, we can't see Scorpius very well up here since it sits so low to the horizon and you've managed to catch a decent amount of the galaxy's core. What I think when I see your picture is that you're still fairly close to a big metropolitan area and that there was some stagnant atmospheric conditions at the time. Pollution in the air builds up in stagnant air and light from big towns and cities actually reflects off of it, even if you're miles and miles away from the light source. In my experience, put at least 10-20 miles between you and any nearby towns and cities depending on how big they are, particularly when the air is stagnant. The best times are the first clear evening after a weather system passes by, especially one with rain since that will typically clear up the air and make for a darker sky. The easiest way (the only way really) to clear it all up is to get way out in the country, 50 miles or more away from the nearest big city.

Huck · 08-17-2013, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titan1080

That's actually not bad, we can't see Scorpius very well up here since it sits so low to the horizon and you've managed to catch a decent amount of the galaxy's core. What I think when I see your picture is that you're still fairly close to a big metropolitan area and that there was some stagnant atmospheric conditions at the time. Pollution in the air builds up in stagnant air and light from big towns and cities actually reflects off of it, even if you're miles and miles away from the light source. In my experience, put at least 10-20 miles between you and any nearby towns and cities depending on how big they are, particularly when the air is stagnant. The best times are the first clear evening after a weather system passes by, especially one with rain since that will typically clear up the air and make for a darker sky. The easiest way (the only way really) to clear it all up is to get way out in the country, 50 miles or more away from the nearest big city.

Thanks for the compliments, I appreciate it. Tapatalk compresses the pics, so you don't get to see the full detail of the pic. It actually looks slightly better here.

You're completely right though, I live in the city and this was an unusually clear night for where I live. One of these nights I'm going to go out on old 46, it's a highway between my city and Orlando that takes you out in the middle of nowhere. There's a couple spots where people go airboating and stuff, I wanna stop out there and take some pictures and try to not get eaten by a gator lol.

I just have to figure out why my damned camera doesn't want to focus or take the picture. If it's in auto focus then it won't take the pic. If it's in manual it's fine. Don't know what the problem is...

RiCharlie · 08-17-2013, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huck

I just have to figure out why my damned camera doesn't want to focus or take the picture. If it's in auto focus then it won't take the pic. If it's in manual it's fine. Don't know what the problem is...

Are you asking why your camera will not focus on stars at night?

10MPlayer · 08-17-2013, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huck

I just have to figure out why my damned camera doesn't want to focus or take the picture. If it's in auto focus then it won't take the pic. If it's in manual it's fine. Don't know what the problem is...

To focus, the camera does a computer analysis of the light coming into it. When the image is out of focus the camera doesn't see much difference from one part of the image to the next. As it focuses it "sees" a sharper division between the bright areas and the dark areas and tries to maximize that effect.

When you look at a dark night sky there's not enough light. The camera can't find any contrasting objects to focus on. You need to turn autofocus off and wait 10 minutes or so for your eyes to adjust. Then you manually focus the camera. Of course you use a tripod and a remote release and don't bother if it's windy out.

Here's an easy to read article on autofocus... HowStuffWorks "How Autofocus Cameras Work"

08-17-2013, 04:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
Boost_lee A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: SATX Posts: 2,813 Drives: 09 370Z TT 6MT Rep Power: 30	Thanks! I really wish I had media access on the track for the drifting, but I did the best with what I had __________________ My TT Z

08-16-2013, 10:06 PM	#2 (permalink)
Pintsize725 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Austin Posts: 14,196 Drives: 2016 Mazda 6 Rep Power: 211845	The last second of an ant's life. __________________ Tracie Last edited by Pintsize725; 04-08-2021 at 05:58 PM.

08-16-2013, 11:47 PM	#10 (permalink)
happytheman A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Florida Posts: 10,737 Drives: MB 6M Tour/Sport Z34 Rep Power: 1823	Fantastic shot Tarcie! You've been really improving your composition lately! __________________ --Brantly-- *PowderCoating by Mike/Stillen/PWJDM/Shine Auto/NST* GTR/Michelin /Fast Intentions/Evo-R/Mobil 1/Motul/Z1 https://facebook.com/CentralFloridaZClub

08-17-2013, 01:55 AM	#12 (permalink)
Titan1080 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Mill Creek, Wa Posts: 495 Drives: 04 Nissan Titan 4x4 Rep Power: 373	That's actually not bad, we can't see Scorpius very well up here since it sits so low to the horizon and you've managed to catch a decent amount of the galaxy's core. What I think when I see your picture is that you're still fairly close to a big metropolitan area and that there was some stagnant atmospheric conditions at the time. Pollution in the air builds up in stagnant air and light from big towns and cities actually reflects off of it, even if you're miles and miles away from the light source. In my experience, put at least 10-20 miles between you and any nearby towns and cities depending on how big they are, particularly when the air is stagnant. The best times are the first clear evening after a weather system passes by, especially one with rain since that will typically clear up the air and make for a darker sky. The easiest way (the only way really) to clear it all up is to get way out in the country, 50 miles or more away from the nearest big city. __________________ 2009 370Z w/ Sport Last edited by Titan1080; 08-17-2013 at 02:00 AM.

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