how about these
/forum/topic/645411/0

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dalgin
Registered: May 02, 2008
Total Posts: 79
Country: N/A

I did not use tripod for any of these. should i?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9802787@N06/2481446196/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9802787@N06/2480631021/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9802787@N06/2481444890/

Scott Stoness
Registered: Sep 11, 2006
Total Posts: 2712
Country: Canada

Dalgin - it is better to post the picture than insert a link because you want to make it as easy as possible fro others to comment

The rule of thumb on whether you need a tripod is yes if the greater of:
1) Shutter less than about 1/100 (some people are more steady or have IS down to maybe 1/30)
2) 1/(mm of lens x 1.6 on your camera)
[3) 1/650 if shooting sports action shots but thats not landscape]

For me what this translates to is sunsets, dark areas, making water silky after early morning require a tripod.

Where I don't use a tripod (hiking or in a hurry) I use a monopod because it stills the picture in one dimension.

?v=0
exif 1/10 f22 17mm iso 100

1/10 is way too slow to make sharp - so yes

I presume you were trying for silky water and went to 1/10 f22

Your camera starts to have lots of defraction noise above f16 so really sharp pictures need to stop at f16 and usually sharpest is f8. Most lens are sharpest at 2 stops over wide open and start to soften thereafter because of defraction.

If you double your iso you roughly half you shutter so moving to iso 1600 would get you in the range you don't need a tripod but the grain goes up significantly between 800 and 1600. Most professionals will not go above 200.

So for best results:
- Buy a cokin P holder
- Buy a nuetral density grad filter (reduces exposure at top because the sky and bush are too far apart on expsure)
- Buy a neutral density ungraduated filter (increases exposure to make water silky)
- Buy a circular poloarizer that fits the cokin (brings out details in water)
- Use a remote shutter release (or timer) [removes shake and tailing off of shake from the intitial release]
- Lock up the mirror when shooting [your shutter leaves a shake - you have to hit shutter remotely twice]
- Use a tripod
All of the above

Edited by Scott Stoness on May 11, 2008 at 10:08 AM GMT

Edited by Scott Stoness on May 11, 2008 at 01:15 PM GMT

Scott Stoness
Registered: Sep 11, 2006
Total Posts: 2712
Country: Canada

Composition:

Re 1st link [1st post above]: I think it needs the area where water ends otherwise it feels truncated. I would skip the blue sky above unless you really want it because its so hard to expose between the extremes.

[Above] Very Nice picture. Best of 3 linked.
Nice lines leading up
I would get all of the post on right and tree on left or none or 1/2 way through so it looks more deliberate. You are using a wide angle so thats tough.
I would have a bit more at bottom and a bit less at top
A lower perspective (shoot on your knees) would improve.
1/60 s ISO 100 f5.6 17mm is at edge of needing tripod - I would go to iso200 and f8 for reasons above

This image is copyrighted by the owner

3/5s f29 33mm iso 100
[Above] is very soft - f29 is way too high, 3/5 is pretty low - if you went to f8 and iso 200 you would not need tripod\
Composition is better than first
I think you need the bottom of rocks to improve
you need slower to make water silky - see above first post.

PS if you are new to photography and are buying a tripod - you want in order of importance
- most important is to have a ball head or you will be adjusting your legs continously
- strong ball head to hold without creep if you have big lens
- not screw leg releases - lever type
- when top down and legs expanded it should be at just short of eye level
- ability to go low if you want macro

dalgin
Registered: May 02, 2008
Total Posts: 79
Country: N/A

This is awesome. Thank you very much for all your comments. They are very constructive.

The reason I went to F29 is it was too light outside and I knew I had to slow down the shutter speed.

In times when you know you need F8 and 1/10~1/3 shutter speed for silky water and there is too much light, and if your iso is already down to 100, what else can you do?

Again, thank you very much for all your comments.

Scott Stoness
Registered: Sep 11, 2006
Total Posts: 2712
Country: Canada

dalgin wrote:
This is awesome. Thank you very much for all your comments. They are very constructive.

The reason I went to F29 is it was too light outside and I knew I had to slow down the shutter speed.

In times when you know you need F8 and 1/10~1/3 shutter speed for silky water and there is too much light, and if your iso is already down to 100, what else can you do?

Again, thank you very much for all your comments.

If you have the cokin filter holder, you add the polarizer (causes less light ), add nuetral density filter (adds anywhere from 1 to 4 stops depending on which one you add). A nd filter is either plastic or glass and dark grey - all it does is cause the need for more time exposure.

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