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Please help a new 50D owner

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dadgummit said:
The Sony's pictures I am using to compare were all shot at F2.8 where
the canon shots were at F3.5-f4

Would a P&S have a larger DOF at 2.8 than the canon at 3.5?
Click to expand...
Much-Much larger.

For example, at its wide end the Sony is 36mm, but that's in 35mm equivalency. It's true focal length is 6mm.

If you go to: http://dofmaster.com/dofjs.html you will be able to enter that information to get the dof calculation of the Sony for 6mm at f/2.8: With a subject 6 feet away, your dof is 17.6 ft.

Now let's take your 50D. At 6 ft. your dof at at f/2.8 and 36mm is .9 ft. If you use f/5.6, the dof becomes 1.82 ft.

This explains why your dof with your 50D is so narrow.

It takes a little while to adjust to the view of a dSLR image v. a P&S image.

Olga
 
If you are shooting in live view I think you are supposed to use manual focus. And make sure when you are not using live view that the autofocus on the lens is switched on. If you are shooting indoors make sure you are using the flash. No such thing as a stupid question. That's how you learn.
 
Thank you very much for taking the time to explain this!! It makes perfect sense now.
Olga Johnson said:
dadgummit said:
The Sony's pictures I am using to compare were all shot at F2.8 where
the canon shots were at F3.5-f4

Would a P&S have a larger DOF at 2.8 than the canon at 3.5?
Click to expand...
Much-Much larger.

For example, at its wide end the Sony is 36mm, but that's in 35mm
equivalency. It's true focal length is 6mm.

If you go to: http://dofmaster.com/dofjs.html you will be able to
enter that information to get the dof calculation of the Sony for 6mm
at f/2.8: With a subject 6 feet away, your dof is 17.6 ft.

Now let's take your 50D. At 6 ft. your dof at at f/2.8 and 36mm is .9
ft. If you use f/5.6, the dof becomes 1.82 ft.

This explains why your dof with your 50D is so narrow.

It takes a little while to adjust to the view of a dSLR image v. a
P&S image.

Olga
Click to expand...
 
I tried it in P mode and av mode so I could bump up the aperture and the ISO over and over but even at F5.6 and 3200 iso the camera would only shoot at 1/40 to 1/60 shutter speeds. The pictures were coming out pretty grainy too.

I then tried M Mode. I finally settled on F8, 800 iso, 1/160 shutter, +2/3 flash exposure comp. The pictures are coming out great!! I am seeing more detail on my computer monitor than I even notice with the naked eye.

The strange thing is in av mode at f8 and 800 iso it wanted to use a 1/8 shutter speed but in m mode it takes beautiful pictures with a 1/160 speed and the same settings. I guess I am going to have to take the camera's suggestions with a grain of salt.

I have to admit I was getting worried that I wasted a whole lot of $$'s on a camera that was no better than the old sony H5. But even these few pictures I took today are clearer and show more detail than I have ever seen before on my past cameras.

Thank you to everyone who took the time from your days to help me out!!
 
dadgummit said:
I tried it in P mode and av mode so I could bump up the aperture and
the ISO over and over but even at F5.6 and 3200 iso the camera would
only shoot at 1/40 to 1/60 shutter speeds. The pictures were coming
out pretty grainy too.

I then tried M Mode. I finally settled on F8, 800 iso, 1/160
shutter, +2/3 flash exposure comp. The pictures are coming out
great!! I am seeing more detail on my computer monitor than I even
notice with the naked eye.

The strange thing is in av mode at f8 and 800 iso it wanted to use a
1/8 shutter speed but in m mode it takes beautiful pictures with a
1/160 speed and the same settings. I guess I am going to have to
take the camera's suggestions with a grain of salt.
Click to expand...
I assume you were using the flash in M mode, which boosted the amount of light available. If you use the flash in AV, it works as a 'fill in' and hence the difference in shutter speed.

If you want to use the flash to illuminate the scene fully, always use M mode.
dadgummit said:
I have to admit I was getting worried that I wasted a whole lot of
$$'s on a camera that was no better than the old sony H5. But even
these few pictures I took today are clearer and show more detail than
I have ever seen before on my past cameras.

Thank you to everyone who took the time from your days to help me out!!
--
Click to expand...
 
In Av and Tv mode, the camera exposes for the background, so when you do flash the scene, your subject receiving the light will be brightened, but the background that is too far away will still be reasonably bright (as the camera has exposed for it).
 
i know exactly what you mean. when i moved from a P&S to a dSLR, i was actually wondering what the hell i spent my money on. even saying that my P&S can take better pictures. then i just started to learn it, use it. now i understand what i spent my money on, and its control. no P&S could ever do what a dSLR can do.

for example, in lighting that requires a shutter speed of 1/8 of a second for a point and shoot, a dslr can take at 1/40 without a problem. this is from my experience of course, and im not generalizing to all.

to the OP: dSLR's are very different to P&S. the same settings translate differently.

my advice, like what others here have said, get to learn the camera. eventually, it becomes your b*tch and does exactly what you want it to do. most of the time anyway. hehe.

cheers.
 
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