What I was looking for in most of these was depth of field, thus the high
ISO and small aperture.
And, I was wanting to see what effect the higher ISO had on the pictures,
but I didn't want to take
it all the way to the max of 1600.


Your thinking is correct in that the higher ISO will afford a smaller
aperture and therefore a greater depth of field. A deep depth of field is
important in landscapes such as these only when you have a subject in the
very near foreground that you want to be in focus along with the
intermediate and background subjects. In most of these photos, there isn't a
close foreground subject, so a deep depth of field isn't really required.
In the photos where the grasses are in the foreground, perhaps a bit more
depth of field is required, but not all that much. The penalty of an
unnecessarily small aperture is lens diffraction, which can reduce
sharpness.

Since I shoot primarily landscapes, I'm very much attuned to the issue of
depth of field. In fact, it is because of this that I almost always shoot
in aperture priority mode. I let the depth of field requirements of the
scene dictate the aperture setting I use and will let the shutter speed and
ISO remain variable. My default aperture is f8, because it usually offers
enough depth of field and is typically the sweet spot of sharpness in most
lenses. If I require more depth of field I will either stop the lens down
further or use a wider focal length. If I am trying to narrow the depth of
field, I'll do the opposite. In any case, I'll typically set the focus at a
hyperfocal distance (somewhere between the foreground and background of the
scene. Also, I always shoot a scene with several bracketed exposures, often
using different aperture settings and then sort it all out at home using a
large monitor.

Perhaps on your next trip out west we can hook up for a photo shoot.

Russ

On Nov 25, 1:07*pm, "RG" wrote:


Perhaps on your next trip out west we can hook up for a photo shoot.

Russ


take him up on it, John!

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:07:05 -0700, "RG" wrote:

What I was looking for in most of these was depth of field, thus the high
ISO and small aperture.
And, I was wanting to see what effect the higher ISO had on the pictures,
but I didn't want to take
it all the way to the max of 1600.


Your thinking is correct in that the higher ISO will afford a smaller
aperture and therefore a greater depth of field. A deep depth of field is
important in landscapes such as these only when you have a subject in the
very near foreground that you want to be in focus along with the
intermediate and background subjects. In most of these photos, there isn't a
close foreground subject, so a deep depth of field isn't really required.
In the photos where the grasses are in the foreground, perhaps a bit more
depth of field is required, but not all that much. The penalty of an
unnecessarily small aperture is lens diffraction, which can reduce
sharpness.

Since I shoot primarily landscapes, I'm very much attuned to the issue of
depth of field. In fact, it is because of this that I almost always shoot
in aperture priority mode. I let the depth of field requirements of the
scene dictate the aperture setting I use and will let the shutter speed and
ISO remain variable. My default aperture is f8, because it usually offers
enough depth of field and is typically the sweet spot of sharpness in most
lenses. If I require more depth of field I will either stop the lens down
further or use a wider focal length. If I am trying to narrow the depth of
field, I'll do the opposite. In any case, I'll typically set the focus at a
hyperfocal distance (somewhere between the foreground and background of the
scene. Also, I always shoot a scene with several bracketed exposures, often
using different aperture settings and then sort it all out at home using a
large monitor.

Perhaps on your next trip out west we can hook up for a photo shoot.

Russ


Good tips. I like the bracketed exposure idea. Never done it. A photo shoot out there would be a
blast. I'm thinking of going on one, even if I have to fly there and back. Shoot, it might make a
nice motorcycle trip.

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:22:52 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:08:30 -0500, John H
wrote:

...besides the exercise and learning to cope with frustration.

These are from my local course, about a mile away.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...MNV_0059-1.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...l/MNV_0056.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...l/MNV_0054.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...l/MNV_0051.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...l/MNV_0051.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...l/MNV_0029.jpg

No wading birds? No alligators? What fun is that? ;-)

It does look like a pretty walk in the park.

I am going to be playing somewhere in TamBay area next week. It will
probably be in Odessa where my alligator picture came from.

We don't have alligators, but we have a beaver, or two or three, who has decided to clear out some
of the trees on number 10. I should have gotten a couple pictures of the damage they've caused. I've
offered to sit out there with a shotgun, but the management doesn't like the idea.

Can't imagine why. I suppose beavers are 'endangered', but oaks don't count.

Good tips. I like the bracketed exposure idea. Never done it. A photo
shoot out there would be a
blast. I'm thinking of going on one, even if I have to fly there and back.
Shoot, it might make a
nice motorcycle trip.

Your D200 has an auto-bracketing feature that makes bracketing unbelievably
easy. You tell it how many exposures you would like to take (3,5,7 or 9),
how far apart the exposures should be (.3, .7 or a full stop), then hold
down the shutter. The camera will fire the shutter the requested number of
times and then stop. You don't even have to count. I always bracket at
least three exposures, one stop apart, more exposures if the dynamic range
of the scene is high. I do this for two reasons. First, as good as the
meters are in modern cameras, they don't always get it right. Having three
or more exposures a stop apart lets me choose which exposure is the best to
use in post production. Second, if a single exposure won't yield good
results due to high dynamic range, having a bracketed set of exposures
allows me to merge then in an HDR program, often time producing a result
that is superior to what could be accomplished using s single exposure.
This approach would have been prohibitively expensive using film, but pixels
as free. The only cost is the extra time required to sort through all the
exposures in post production. I'd rather sort these out at the comfort of
my desk at home using a large monitor than to try and determine optimal
exposure using a LCD screen on the camera in bright sunlight.

Russ

On Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:12:03 -0700, "RG" wrote:


Good tips. I like the bracketed exposure idea. Never done it. A photo
shoot out there would be a
blast. I'm thinking of going on one, even if I have to fly there and back.
Shoot, it might make a
nice motorcycle trip.

Your D200 has an auto-bracketing feature that makes bracketing unbelievably
easy. You tell it how many exposures you would like to take (3,5,7 or 9),
how far apart the exposures should be (.3, .7 or a full stop), then hold
down the shutter. The camera will fire the shutter the requested number of
times and then stop. You don't even have to count. I always bracket at
least three exposures, one stop apart, more exposures if the dynamic range
of the scene is high. I do this for two reasons. First, as good as the
meters are in modern cameras, they don't always get it right. Having three
or more exposures a stop apart lets me choose which exposure is the best to
use in post production. Second, if a single exposure won't yield good
results due to high dynamic range, having a bracketed set of exposures
allows me to merge then in an HDR program, often time producing a result
that is superior to what could be accomplished using s single exposure.
This approach would have been prohibitively expensive using film, but pixels
as free. The only cost is the extra time required to sort through all the
exposures in post production. I'd rather sort these out at the comfort of
my desk at home using a large monitor than to try and determine optimal
exposure using a LCD screen on the camera in bright sunlight.

Russ


I've never used the bracketing, but I'm going to give it a shot with three exposures. Next question,
do I set it for AE and Flash, AE only, Flash only, or White Balance bracketing. From what you've
said, I'm going to guess AE and Flash. I've set the EV step to 1.

Question, in what mode are you shooting, A.S,M,P? I've taken a couple shots, the camera is taking
three exposures, but I can see no difference in the shots - using the camera's monitor.

I've never used the bracketing, but I'm going to give it a shot with three
exposures. Next question,
do I set it for AE and Flash, AE only, Flash only, or White Balance
bracketing. From what you've
said, I'm going to guess AE and Flash. I've set the EV step to 1.

Question, in what mode are you shooting, A.S,M,P? I've taken a couple
shots, the camera is taking
three exposures, but I can see no difference in the shots - using the
camera's monitor.

1. Set menu item e5 to AE only. Page 166 of the manual.

2. Set menu item e7 to UnderMTROver. This will shoot the sequence
as -EV, 0EV, +EV, assuming no exposure compensation has been dialed in. I
prefer this sequence over the default of MTRUnderOver. Page 167

3. Set menu item e8 to Manual Value Select. Page 167

4. Set menu item b3 to 1/3 step, which will allow you to set exposure
adjustments at 1/3 stop intervals. Menu item b4 should be set the same.
Page 154

5. Set the shooting mode dial on the top left of the camera to either CL or
CH. I use CH. This will allow the camera to shoot the entire bracketed
sequence with a single press and hold of the shutter release. Page 26.

6. While holding down the BKT button, rotate the main command dial (on the
back of the camera) to set the number of shots for the sequence, in your
example, 3. While holding down the BKT button, rotate the sub-command dial
(on the front of the camera) to set the exposure increment, in your example,
1. Page 73

You should now be set up to auto-bracket a 3-shot sequence at a 1EV
interval. Compose a shot and hold the shutter release down. The shutter
should trip 3 times and then stop. When you review the photos on the LCD
screen, you will notice that one is probably too dark and underexposed, the
next one should be just about right, an the third one will likely be too
bright and over exposed. You can confirm the bracketing by selecting the
shooting data page 1 review screen. There you will see in the exposure
compensation field as -1.0, 0.0 and 1.0 respectively for the -1EV, 0EV and
+1EV shots. Page 99.

I almost always shoot in (A) aperture priority mode. My default aperture is
f8, and I typically will only change it if I am trying to either limit or
expand the depth of field. When in this mode and auto-bracketing, the
aperture is constant among the bracketed set, what changes is the shutter
speed. I also might adjust the aperture if I'm trying for an effect using
shutter speed. Let's say I'm shooting a water fall or moving water in a
stream, and the question is whether I want to stop the action of the water
with a fast shutter speed or blur the water by dragging the shutter with a
slower speed. For the former I would open the lens wider which would result
in a bracketed set with a faster range of shutter speeds. For the latter, I
would stop the lens down (as well as adding a polarizer or neutral density
filter to reduce the amount of light hitting the sensor), resulting in a set
with longer shutter speeds.

To turn the auto Bracketing off, all you have to do is the hold the BKT
button and rotate the main command dial so the number of shots is set to 0.
You don't have to alter any other settings. To turn it back on, just set to
the number of shots you want again. I leave my camera set to CH (continuous
high shooting). You quickly learn to press and release the shutter button
quickly when you only want a single shot, but you always have the continuous
option available, which is great if you want to capture something in motion,
say a heron taking flight while you're sitting on the boat watching the
world go by.

The other thing to understand about auto-bracketing is that it works in
conjunction with any exposure compensation you might have dialed in with +/-
button. With exposure compensation set at 0, your example of a 3 shot, 1EV
set would meter out at -1EV, 0EV and +1 EV. But let's say that conditions
were such that you'd prefer to favor the scene to be underexposed versus
overexposed. You could dial in a -1EV exposure compensation with the +/-
button, and then your 3 shot bracket sequence would meter out at -2EV, -1EV
and 0EV. I do this quite a bit.

Happy shooting.

Russ

On Sun, 27 Nov 2011 11:47:21 -0700, "RG" wrote:

Happy shooting.

Russ

========

It's incredible what these cameras can do if you take the time to
learn the features.

I assume that since you are shooting mostly landscapes, that you use a
tripod and don't worry all that much about shutter speed. My issues
are different since I'm usually shooting from a moving boat with a
telephoto lens. Can you tell me how to set up a Nikon D40X to always
shoot at the fastest possible shutter speed?

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 27 Nov 2011 11:47:21 -0700, "RG" wrote:

Happy shooting.

Russ

========

It's incredible what these cameras can do if you take the time to
learn the features.

I assume that since you are shooting mostly landscapes, that you use a
tripod and don't worry all that much about shutter speed. My issues
are different since I'm usually shooting from a moving boat with a
telephoto lens. Can you tell me how to set up a Nikon D40X to always
shoot at the fastest possible shutter speed?


Hi Wayne,

You're correct that when I'm shooting landscapes, the camera is usually on a
tripod and therefore I have little concern about shutter speed unless I've
got trees blowing in the wind or I'm after an effect as described above.
When using a tripod and remote cable release, I lock down the ISO to the
base level, which is 200 on my D300. I choose the aperture and if the
camera selects a shutter speed of a full second or more, I don't care. If
I'm shooting hand-held, then shutter speed is a concern. Now I switch to
Auto-ISO and select a minimum shutter speed that I feel appropriate for the
situation. Let's say I wouldn't want to shoot at any speed slower than
1/250 of a second (a pretty high example normally, but not if shooting with
a long lens and on a boat). I would set the ISO to the base level of 200,
but turn on Auto ISO with a minimum shutter speed of 1/250. This allows me
to still shoot in (A)perture priority mode, choosing which aperture I
prefer, and knowing that the camera will select whatever shutter speed is
appropriate for proper exposure. If that shutter speed is below 1/250 of a
second, the camera has been authorized to bump the ISO to what ever level is
required for proper exposure at my selected aperture and a shutter speed of
1/250 of a second. This yields the lowest possible ISO (something you
should always strive for) with the slowest shutter speed you have specified

You can do the same thing with your D40x. I'm not sure just how high you
can set the minimum shutter speed, (my D300 will allows a minimum as fast as
1/4000, which is pretty ridiculous) but I would think you would want to be
shooting at no less that 1/500 of a second, or perhaps even 1/1000.
Obviously, the higher you set the minimum shutter speed, the higher the ISO
will be forced when the camera calculates exposure. And higher ISOs will
always result in a degradation of the image, so using high ISOs should not
be done without reason. The other thing you want to take advantage of is to
use lenses that have Nikon's VR technology or a third party lens with
similar stabilization technology. (Side note: This technology works
wonders on binocs as well. I've had a set of Canon image-stabilized binocs
for years that I keep on the boat and just love them). Lens stabilization
won't help with moving subject matter, but it will certainly help with shaky
hands, a long lens and a rocking boat. Your other option for forcing a fast
shutter is to shoot in (S)hutter priority mode and select whatever shutter
speed you wish (1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, etc.). I would still leave ISO to
Auto and set whatever you want as a minimum shutter speed, but it really
doesn't matter as your chosen shutter speed in (S) mode will take priority.
The camera will now select the appropriate aperture for exposure, subject
the to limits of the lens, and if the lens is wide open and more light is
needed for the shutter speed you selected, the ISO will be bumped to
whatever level is required. The D40X also has Digital Vari-Programs that
can be used as a final option. In the case you mention, the sports program
(page 19 of the manual) would the one to choose. I always advise weaning
away from these programs, as they don't help you to learn and become
comfortable with the relationships between shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
My preference would be the first option of shooting in (A) mode and setting
the minimum shutter speed in the Auto ISO setting (page 76 of the manual).
But if you're shooting fast action, say an off-shore boat race, then I would
go to shutter priority and set the shutter to a very fast speed.

RG

On Sun, 27 Nov 2011 11:47:21 -0700, "RG" wrote:


I've never used the bracketing, but I'm going to give it a shot with three
exposures. Next question,
do I set it for AE and Flash, AE only, Flash only, or White Balance
bracketing. From what you've
said, I'm going to guess AE and Flash. I've set the EV step to 1.

Question, in what mode are you shooting, A.S,M,P? I've taken a couple
shots, the camera is taking
three exposures, but I can see no difference in the shots - using the
camera's monitor.

1. Set menu item e5 to AE only. Page 166 of the manual.

2. Set menu item e7 to UnderMTROver. This will shoot the sequence
as -EV, 0EV, +EV, assuming no exposure compensation has been dialed in. I
prefer this sequence over the default of MTRUnderOver. Page 167

3. Set menu item e8 to Manual Value Select. Page 167

4. Set menu item b3 to 1/3 step, which will allow you to set exposure
adjustments at 1/3 stop intervals. Menu item b4 should be set the same.
Page 154

5. Set the shooting mode dial on the top left of the camera to either CL or
CH. I use CH. This will allow the camera to shoot the entire bracketed
sequence with a single press and hold of the shutter release. Page 26.

6. While holding down the BKT button, rotate the main command dial (on the
back of the camera) to set the number of shots for the sequence, in your
example, 3. While holding down the BKT button, rotate the sub-command dial
(on the front of the camera) to set the exposure increment, in your example,
1. Page 73

You should now be set up to auto-bracket a 3-shot sequence at a 1EV
interval. Compose a shot and hold the shutter release down. The shutter
should trip 3 times and then stop. When you review the photos on the LCD
screen, you will notice that one is probably too dark and underexposed, the
next one should be just about right, an the third one will likely be too
bright and over exposed. You can confirm the bracketing by selecting the
shooting data page 1 review screen. There you will see in the exposure
compensation field as -1.0, 0.0 and 1.0 respectively for the -1EV, 0EV and
+1EV shots. Page 99.

I almost always shoot in (A) aperture priority mode. My default aperture is
f8, and I typically will only change it if I am trying to either limit or
expand the depth of field. When in this mode and auto-bracketing, the
aperture is constant among the bracketed set, what changes is the shutter
speed. I also might adjust the aperture if I'm trying for an effect using
shutter speed. Let's say I'm shooting a water fall or moving water in a
stream, and the question is whether I want to stop the action of the water
with a fast shutter speed or blur the water by dragging the shutter with a
slower speed. For the former I would open the lens wider which would result
in a bracketed set with a faster range of shutter speeds. For the latter, I
would stop the lens down (as well as adding a polarizer or neutral density
filter to reduce the amount of light hitting the sensor), resulting in a set
with longer shutter speeds.

To turn the auto Bracketing off, all you have to do is the hold the BKT
button and rotate the main command dial so the number of shots is set to 0.
You don't have to alter any other settings. To turn it back on, just set to
the number of shots you want again. I leave my camera set to CH (continuous
high shooting). You quickly learn to press and release the shutter button
quickly when you only want a single shot, but you always have the continuous
option available, which is great if you want to capture something in motion,
say a heron taking flight while you're sitting on the boat watching the
world go by.

The other thing to understand about auto-bracketing is that it works in
conjunction with any exposure compensation you might have dialed in with +/-
button. With exposure compensation set at 0, your example of a 3 shot, 1EV
set would meter out at -1EV, 0EV and +1 EV. But let's say that conditions
were such that you'd prefer to favor the scene to be underexposed versus
overexposed. You could dial in a -1EV exposure compensation with the +/-
button, and then your 3 shot bracket sequence would meter out at -2EV, -1EV
and 0EV. I do this quite a bit.

Happy shooting.

Russ


Sorry not to get back sooner, but I found out that all this playing around consumes battery power. I
may have to put an extra battery on my Christmas list.

I *really* appreciate your help on this. I've got everything set, and now can see some differences
in the shots. I'm wondering though - yesterday I was getting three shots, but could hear the camera
'take' only one. I had left the shooting mode dial on 'S', but was still getting three shots. I must
have changed something though, because now if I put it back on 'S' I get only a single shot. I'll
have to look into.

I've got to take this thing outside tomorrow and do some more playing.

Thanks again, Russ. Your help is great!

John