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One pill makes you taller!

Basil

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I recently acquired a 14mm ultra wide angle lens, but when I use it, I seem to grow very tall!


14mm-0345 copy.jpg
 
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Deleted member 8987

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and one pill makes you small......and the one that Mother gives you.....
 

JPSmit

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Go ask Alice!

those floor boards are 8" wide aren't they?
 

Popeye

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Nice lens! You’re huge!! With tiny feet, sorry to say :smile:.

(Were not White Rabbit lyrics one of the billboard jokes in LA Story??)
 

waltesefalcon

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I'd hate to fall from that height.
 

pdplot

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I just got a new toy - a Canon SL2 with the 18-55 kit lens and a Tamron 18-400 tele. I don't want to use a bulky tripod but at my age, camera shake is a real problem with the Tamron, which is my walking around lens, so after much experimenting and wasted shots (spray and pray), I'm trying shutter priority at 1/400, ISO 400 and letting the camera pick the aperture. I'm shooting birds for the most part. So far so good in general, but Basil - as the more experienced photographer, do you have any tips as to what I should be doing? Any better settings?
 
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Basil

Basil

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I just got a new toy - a Canon SL2 with the 18-55 kit lens and a Tamron 18-400 tele. I don't want to use a bulky tripod but at my age, camera shake is a real problem with the Tamron, which is my walking around lens, so after much experimenting and wasted shots (spray and pray), I'm trying shutter priority at 1/400, ISO 400 and letting the camera pick the aperture. I'm shooting birds for the most part. So far so good in general, but Basil - as the more experienced photographer, do you have any tips as to what I should be doing? Any better settings?

I am far from an expert but, since you asked - most of the time I shoot Av (Aperture priority) where I control the aperture and let the camera pick the shutter speed. The aperture I set depends on what I'm trying to capture. For birds, especially birds in flight, I usually shoot wide open (largest aperture possible, such as f2.8 or f4 depending on the lens). For birds in flight I want a shutter speed of at least 1/1000 to stop motion. If the light is low and I find that, even wide open I can't get a fast enough shutter speed, I will try bumping up the ISO to see of I can get faster shutter speed (as a general rule I like to keep the ISO as low as possible because the higher the ISO the more noise that is introduced into the picture). These are just guidelines I use, not hard and fast rules. Sometimes I might stop down a bit for birds that are just sitting on a wire or in a tree and I think I can get away with a slower shutter speed and maybe want to get more of the scene in focus.
 

pdplot

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Thanks, Bas. I assume you have steadier hands than I do. I get many blurry shots with telephoto lenses because of camera shake even though I try to use the rifleman's shooting position. I also have a monopod but that proved to be no better than hand-holding. You can spend hundreds of dollars on a decent sturdy tripod as you are no doubt aware. My daughter gets better bird photos with her $250 Canon point & shoot with 50X tele than I do. Old Age sucks but it beats the alternative.
 
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Basil

Basil

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Thanks, Bas. I assume you have steadier hands than I do. I get many blurry shots with telephoto lenses because of camera shake even though I try to use the rifleman's shooting position. I also have a monopod but that proved to be no better than hand-holding. You can spend hundreds of dollars on a decent sturdy tripod as you are no doubt aware. My daughter gets better bird photos with her $250 Canon point & shoot with 50X tele than I do. Old Age sucks but it beats the alternative.

Does your daughter by any chance have the Canon SX50? I have that camera and it has an amazing built-in image stabilization system. I can take pictures hand-held at full zoom and have them come out pretty decent. You're 18-55 kit lens should not be a problem as long as you keep the shutter speed at 1/60 or above. The Tamron 18-400, if it's the one I'm thinking of, should have a switch on the side that says "VC/On - Off". VC= Vibration Compensation which it Tamron's name for image stabilization. Make sure that switch is ON when you are hand held and that should help. Also, the longer the zoom, in general, the faster the shutter speed needs to be to get sharp shots.

By the way - I've heard very good things about that Tamron lens you have!

Also, Brooklands has started a Photography "Group" you should join! It's just getting started, but the more the merrier. Just scroll up to the Member Section and click on the "Groups" link and you can join. Groups are similar to forums.
 

pdplot

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She has the cheaper version - the SX530, and gets screen-filling shots 95% of the time. Only at full zoom does the shot fall apart. The much-derided small sensor 1/2.3 does the trick in good light.
 
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Basil

Basil

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She has the cheaper version - the SX530, and gets screen-filling shots 95% of the time. Only at full zoom does the shot fall apart. The much-derided small sensor 1/2.3 does the trick in good light.


Still a nice little camera!
 

JPSmit

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