Your camera ROCKS because...........

[kjd]

Chip, that eyeball looks like something I saw in my passenger-side rear view mirror once...

Well guys, I promised I'd re-read the owners manual and I did, but I'm still not "getting it" - I went to Manual mode set the exposure time at 4000 (the maximum I think?) and tried different f-stop settings, but it always told me I was underexposed. Never could get capture a shot with it. So for the time being I'll just stick with Aperture Priority and let the camera takes its too-dark photos, and brighten them in Photoshop like I've been doing.

What I'll probably end up doing is trying to get somebody at Ritz to demonstrate for me how to use the settings - for a price if necessary.

BTW I don't think the Rebel has "macro mode" capability, I couldn't find it in the index.

Instead of 4000, which is almost fast enough to take a photo of a flying bullet, try 250.

Correct exposure is a balance between film speed (ISO), lens opening (f-stop) and shutter speed. Imagine trying to fill a bottle with a precise amount of light. The bottle holds a certain amount and how fast the light gets in is determined by the ISO number. Higher ISO, the wider the bottle neck and the faster it fills. The camera uses the shutter speed and f-stop to let light into the camera, light bottle. Shutter speed is usually measured in fractions of a second for daytime photography. The 4000 above corresponds to 1/4000 of a second which requires a very bright light to let a bottle full into the camera in such a short time. A slow shutter speed of say 1/15 second on a sunny day requires compensation by either higher number f-stop or slower, lower number, ISO. Leaving the light on longer as we fill the light bottle either requires a smaller stream of light or a smaller neck on the bottle to avoid overfilling it.
F-stop is a ratio related the focal length of the lens and the effective aperature. Basically, there is a variable aperature inside the lens that changes size to let different amounts of light in. It is exactly the same function as the iris in your eye. When you are outside on a bright day, the iris closes to let less light in, it changes to a smaller, higher number f-stop. When you go inside everything looks dark until it opens up to adjust to the room lighting. So changing to a higher numbered, smaller, f-stop requires compensation by adding more light or a slower shutter speed or faster ISO. With our light bottle example, filling it with a small stream of light takes longer time to fill the bottle or a larger bottle mouth.

And that is the start of basic photography.

 

[IronBeltKen]

Instead of 4000, which is almost fast enough to take a photo of a flying bullet, try 250. ...
. . . . . . . . .
... And that is the start of basic photography.

Paul, thank you for filling-in my 'blank spot' of how to set shutter speed. No wonder none of my attempted manual-mode pics came out <LOL>! Another problem is, it was after dark when I tried doing this under incandescant lighting. I'll test it in mid-day sunlight next time.

Just curious: Can the ISO (rate of light absorption) also be adjusted for the light sensor on a higher-end digital camera? Or is that something that is "fixed", dependent on the megapixel rating?

 

[SpaceMouse]

What do you do with the iris photos?

I use them for making health assessments. It's not much used (or accepted) in the states, but it is used in Germany/ Eastern Europe by MDs where it developed. What it shows is genentic predispostions and weaknesses--where you will likely break if you eat the wrong foods or carry emotional stress.

The sad thing is that there is a network marketing company out there that teaches its distributors to read eyes to sell products. What they teach is inaacurate and gives a black eye to the ones who have undergone formal training.

But if done correctly, it is a very accurate and useful tool. Lot's of science behind it and until last year, I was an associate editor of the International Journal of Iridilogy and Integrative Health Care. Next month the 8th International Congress of Iridilogy will meet in Cinncinnati. There will be scientists from such exotic places as Austrailia, Italy, Austria, Brazil and Californina in attendance.

It's almost like I'm feeling a little defensive. I get a lot of flack when I bring it up so mostly I don't talk about it.

 

[SpaceMouse]

Paul, thank you for filling-in my 'blank spot' of how to set shutter speed. No wonder none of my attempted manual-mode pics came out <LOL>! Another problem is, it was after dark when I tried doing this under incandescant lighting. I'll test it in mid-day sunlight next time.

Just curious: Can the ISO (rate of light absorption) also be adjusted for the light sensor on a higher-end digital camera? Or is that something that is "fixed", dependent on the megapixel rating?

Definitely you can adjust the ISO. It is probably a menu item although on the Fuji it is a button/menu. Think of it as changing the ASA film speed.

 

[SpaceMouse]

I just read through a similiar thread over-there and I have to say the discussion here is a lot more on target. Pat yourselves on the back boys.

 

[IronBeltKen]

Sure it does, it is the little flower on the settings wheel. . . .

. . . It took me a long while to figure it out, but it is covered in the manual.

Ahhh...so it does! Thanks Ray, I just hadn't yet learned that "macro setting" was informal jargon used by the pros for close-up mode. Since Moore's Law also appears to apply to digital cameras as it does to computers, I thought maybe it was a recent photo technology innovation.

As for the -2---1 ... 1---2 scale on the LCD, I saw those numbers changing as I turned the thumbwheel. But I thought I needed to press the shutter button halfway down and look thru the viewfinder, to see if I was getting adequate light. Now, thanks to Paul's excellent explanation above, I have a better idea what to do.

Phillip, this is an excellent thread! Hopefully you won't have to live thru any of the many mistakes I've made along the way.

 

[IronBeltKen]

..., it was after dark when I tried doing [manual mode] under incandescant lighting. I'll test it in mid-day sunlight next time.

I tried it and it works - IT WORKS!!

 

[rhoward]

I tried it and it works - IT WORKS!!

Fantastic! So where is the photo???

This thread has made me go look up some things I didn't know yet about photography and my own camera. Hopefully all of us that contributed and asked questions here will now be even more pleased with the photos we get. Great thread folks!

 

[SpaceMouse]

Well I'll be corn shucked!

The Fuji S1 is not 4 mp. I looked on eBay as per someone's suggestion and saw an S1 Pro like mine that was listed as 6.1 mp. Then annother was listed that way. So I took the max size I can make a picture and multiplied it out, and sure enough, The camera is a 6.1 mp. Makes me feel even more like fixing it.

 

[IronBeltKen]

Fantastic! So where is the photo???

Right here - 3 of them to be exact! I did not do anything with the brightness/contrast settings on any of these, but I did re-size them to make them fit here.

This first one shows an under-exposed image, i.e., what I typically get when I use Aperture-Priority mode:

The 2nd image is what the camera defined as the optimum shutter speed, what I believe the camera is supposed to set it to in Aperture Priority mode (but usually doesn't):

I deliberately set the exposure time for longer-than-optimum, just to see how it would compare to the others:

At least now I'll know exactly what to expect, it won't be a roll-of-the-dice like all the other shots have been up until now!

 

[pcarrell]

What a difference! You could almost say that it's like night and day!

OK, I'll go sit in the corner now....................

 

[kjd]

Ken, the photos look great! I am glad my explanation made sense. I think the best exposure would be one between the last two. In the first and second one the details get lost in the dark areas. The camera metering tries to make everything medium gray and made the picture too dark trying to compensate for the white background. Similiarly, when taking photos on a snowy day it is good to overexpose a little so the snow comes out white instead of gray.
Another good thing is to experiment with different settings but keep track of what you did so you can repeat it if you like the results.
Are those RTR Athearn? I am having trouble getting Details West HiAd sideframes to fit an AC4400.

 

[IronBeltKen]

Ken, the photos look great! I am glad my explanation made sense. I think the best exposure would be one between the last two. ...

Thanx Paul, that's sorta what I was thinking. What I really need is another 500w blue bulb (can't remember the technical term for them) to eliminate more of the shadowy areas. And yes I will definitely jot down the shutter speeds when I take 'actual' photos, but I'm sure they'll vary depending on what areas of the layout I'm shooting on.

Are those RTR Athearn? I am having trouble getting Details West HiAd sideframes to fit an AC4400.

Yep they're late-model Athearn RTR's (i.e. not bluebox). I'm a tad ignorant on the difference between a Hi-Adhesion truck and a Self-Steering truck though. #323 is a unit I bought via eBay; the seller included a set of DW Self-Steering truck sideframes because one of the original ones was broken off. After I extracted the plastic out of the hole from the broken-off stub, I was able to press the DW sideframe on without any problem. Are the innards of a Kato or Atlas truck different from an Athearn? If so, perhaps the sideframe you got isn't for an Athearn model...

 

[IronBeltKen]

What a difference! You could almost say that it's like night and day!

OK, I'll go sit in the corner now....................

Well Phillip, is all this making you think that a DSLR might be the way to go? BTW don't let the price tags of the latest-and-greatest new ones give you sticker shock, there are plenty of good used cameras available. My camera is 2 generations old, it's been superceded by the Rebel XT. I paid $1000 for it in April 2004, now I see them listed on eBay for ~$350

 

[SpaceMouse]

Wow! it has depreciated that much?

My Fuji I got for $500 used with a lens a year and a half ago, and now the body alone is going for $425 on eBay.

Phillip, get a used Cannon.

 

[pcarrell]

An SLR would be excellent. I haven't really looked too much at them. Do they have the image stabilization too? I kinda liked that feature. It would allow at least the kids and maybe my wife (on her good days) to use the camera dispite their physical limitations.

Guess I've got more research to do, huh?

 

[SpaceMouse]

An SLR would be excellent. I haven't really looked too much at them. Do they have the image stabilization too? I kinda liked that feature. It would allow at least the kids and maybe my wife (on her good days) to use the camera dispite their physical limitations.

Guess I've got more research to do, huh?

My camera does not do image stabilization. But there is a full auto setting where you can point and shoot.

 

[SpaceMouse]

BTW: My wife hates my S1. To her it is too heavy, too complicated, and a PITA.

She loves the little S5200 though.

I would not count on your wife appreciating your choice if you go DSLR.

 

[rhoward]

An SLR would be excellent. I haven't really looked too much at them. Do they have the image stabilization too? I kinda liked that feature. It would allow at least the kids and maybe my wife (on her good days) to use the camera dispite their physical limitations.

Guess I've got more research to do, huh?

Image stabilization is a function of the lens. You can get them, but plan on spending more for the lens than the camera. It usually is found on lenses in the several thousand dollar range......... That's why I have a tripod!

I'm with Chip on this one------- For your wife, a point and shoot with image stabilization would be a better choice. But for model photography, the DSLR is really the type to get.

 

[pcarrell]

Well, I don't have thousands of dollars to spend, and with my wife and kids having Muscular Dystrophy, image stabilization is kind of important for them, so it looks like an SLR / DSLR is out as this camera will be for all of us.