help me shoot!

Slayerizer · Feb 18, 2013

I have a D5000 with the following Nikkor: 50mm f1.4, 18-55 dx vrII and the 70-300mm. I need help choosing the right camera settings for my pictures..

I normally shoot using a single focus spot, find my subject press the shutter half-way then finish composition and fire. My subjects are often blurry, focus is often misplaced. This is a great shot showing what I do bad!

One of my bad habit is to put my 50mm and choose the widest aperture and iso 100. That way my pictures are always bright but I end up with a very tiny DOF.

Shoud l use the same method but keep my aperture always higher?

I would also need input on these:

Focus mode : choose AF-A or manually select AF-S or AF-C? I mostly shoot landscape/portrait. I don't really shoot sports or any fast action.
Area mode: I often use Single point to be in control of the focused subject but should I select Dynamic,auto or 3d tracking (11points)?

my vegas set

PS: my Very bad pictures aren't included in this one.

thanks in advance!

nfpotter · Feb 18, 2013

Slayerizer said:
Slayerizer wrote:

I have a D5000 with the following Nikkor: 50mm f1.4, 18-55 dx vrII and the 70-300mm. I need help choosing the right camera settings for my pictures..

I normally shoot using a single focus spot, find my subject press the shutter half-way then finish composition and fire. My subjects are often blurry, focus is often misplaced. This is a great shot showing what I do bad!

One of my bad habit is to put my 50mm and choose the widest aperture and iso 100. That way my pictures are always bright but I end up with a very tiny DOF.

Shoud l use the same method but keep my aperture always higher?

I would also need input on these:

Focus mode : choose AF-A or manually select AF-S or AF-C? I mostly shoot landscape/portrait. I don't really shoot sports or any fast action.
Area mode: I often use Single point to be in control of the focused subject but should I select Dynamic,auto or 3d tracking (11points)?

my vegas set

PS: my Very bad pictures aren't included in this one.

thanks in advance!

SLAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't use AF-A. Use AF-S for still subjects, AF-C for moving ones.

You can shoot A mode if you wish. Many do. I do not. I shoot 99% M mode, with Auto-ISO on. That way, I have direct and quick control of both shutter speed and aperture, and Auto-ISO "helps" me nail the exposure. However, all of my cameras have 2 control wheels, and I believe yours only has one. In that case, you might shoot A mode, with Auto-ISO on, and in the Auto-ISO menu, set minimum shutter speed for whatever you need it to be. A good starting point is 1.5 times the focal length of the lens you're using for non-VR lenses, about half that for VR lenses. HOWEVER, VR doesn't freeze subject motion, only camera motion, so you may need faster shutter speeds if your subject is moving around.

SLAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehe.

LouCioccio · Feb 18, 2013

Slayer_ has given you some starting points. He shoots similar to me M mode. Also using that 50 at wide open can be tricky as you DOF is very narrow and I do mean narrow.

using flash to fill with ambient light rear curtain flash

Wide open at 640 ISO also rear curtain flash -2.0.

Here is another one but smaller F-stop f/16 with a 28mm again manual mode but hyper focal setting.

28mm f/3.5 at f/16 manual mode

It takes practice.

Ciao,

Lou Cioccio

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help me shoot!

Slayerizer

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nfpotter

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LouCioccio

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