Kirislin

OK, I've not long gotten home. I realised once I started shooting that I hadn't explained what I wanted to do. I see Luke realised once I'd headed out. Anyway, I figure out myself I needed to slow the shutter speed down to get what I wanted. The other thing I needed was co ooperative whippets. I tried to get them side on but mostly they just wanted to trot along so I got lots of boring pics. then unexpectedly they went psycho and I wasn't all that well prepared but I did get a few blurry out of focus shots. Not great but more along the lines I was after.

Kibah, would've been better if she was running side on, not coming towards me, Oh well, her front leg chest area is almost in focus. at least there's plenty of movement

They practically tied me in knots, especially Feather, I was standing on a slope and she was doing circuits around me at a flat gallop so it wasn't easy.

Depends what sort of look you are going for.

If the background is not picturesque, I would use the 75-300 lense. Put it on Aperture priority, set the aperture at F8, and adjust your ISO untill you get a shutter speed of at least 800. On a dull day you may have to go quite a bit higher than ISO 400.

Position yourself sitting on the ground and have the light behind you.

Make sense?

If the background is nice & you don't want it blurred, you could use the kit lense, but the dogs will presumably not be running right in front of you, so it would be more of a distance shot, like a landscape with dogs in it.

Vickie those shots are amazing, as always but I want to try to get my whippets in focus and the background blurry, panning shots, I think they're called.

You'd laugh if you saw what I'm doing. I am writing down what you've both said to take with me. Hope I get some worthwhile pics. thanks!

I want to try to get some shots with the whippets running, them clear and the background blurred. Hoping someone can suggest settings before I go. I have a canon 400d with the kit lenses. I'm thinking I'd probably need the 18-35 rather than the long lens? Is that right? It's a dull day here so a higher ISO? maybe 400 is that right? I want to get out of auto so I know I need that continuous shooting mode. Umm what else? fast shutter speed?

OK I'm reading the manual, I'm thinking if I just put it on AIservo and continuous shooting. I'll post the results if I get any and they're any good.

Do you tell him to Puck off?

Actually I do sometimes and I have a giggle about it. If you met him I am sure you'd think the name suits him.

anyway I've just changed the lens over and shot these from my doorway. they look blurred because the maggies are behind a wire fence so I changed to manual focus. It's just all practice for me.

and Penny, Pucks mum giving me lip

Where'd he get the name? It's Irish, the name of a Goat

http://www.puckfair.ie/

I named him after the play Midsummer night's dream. I think it suits him but he/we get teased about it a little bit. Puck doesn't mind though.

Todays practice: Here's a couple at 3.5, that's as far as it will go.

They're great, well done

Thankyou!! I've got a very sweet subject, that's my Puck, just not sure about the bokeh though................... :wink:

ok I have sucessfully done no work today but learnt heaps reading up on all things photographic. I found a great website and I think.... that I may have found the penny but won't know for sure till I get home and start practicing with the actual camera.

Stay tuned!

I look forward to seeing your results. Pity you're so far away, we could have a practice day together and get thoroughly confused

have you had a look here, it's Canons own instruction site.

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/enjoydslr/index.html

Todays practice: Here's a couple at 3.5, that's as far as it will go.

http://www.shopbot.com.au/p-32489.html

$119 is the cheapest.

Although I give a HUGE thumbs up to camerasdirect.com.au

I just got my 50mm 1.4 lens from them. Ordered it on Monday and had it on Tuesday morning.

was that shopbot mob the ones you got the refund from? I'd be wary of them if that's the case. I've had a read up of the lens. it sounds really cheap, plasticky.

May I ask how much your 1.4 cost. There seems to be a huge price difference from what I've seen. Is there so much of a difference in quality and ability?

Tahna I had a disappointing day at the beach with mine too and I posted about it here. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=144827

I think it's definitely operator problems with me. Have you loaded the programs that come with the camera onto your computer. you can sharpen them a bit there, which is what I did with some but still, my abilities are the downfall.

Tahna is drowning in a sea of bokeh

and I am not getting much stuff done!

Oh good, my next post was going to be how do I put it in a sentence

How ya goin' Tahna?

Yeah but I think Vickie shoots Nikon??

So I am only trying to give Canon examples Ruthless

Don't confuse the poor woman!

(fredmiranda can be a very useful site, good link)

Please no!!

I wonder how different the results would be with a canon.

I've learnt a new word too by visiting fredmiranda "bokeh"

oooh I think I want one of them.

You have a zoom lens, when you rotate it it goes in and out and gets you closer or further away from the subject. Sorry if I'm making this too basic Fully rotated and fully zoomed is 55mm, and the maximum aperture ie shallowest depth of field you'll get will be f5.6. If you don't zoom at all, the lens is at 18mm and you can shoot at f3.5 [even shallower DOF].

Put your camera on AV and watch the display as you zoom in and out, the f value will change.

The pros around here will probably laugh at my crappy explanation, but hopefully it helps you understand. Don't be afraid to ask questions

Yep, that's exactly what I did when I wrote I heard the penny drop thanks!

Here's a link to the 50mm on Ebay

OK, please explain what this lens will do in simple terms for me. I think it will let me take those lovely close ups with a really shallow depth of field, is that right. will it take distance shots or is it sort of like just a portrait lens only for stationary close up subjects? Or am I completely off the mark.

Hey, I think I am starting to get it. I just had a play with the camera. I think I heard the penny drop.

This lens

CANON ZOOM LENS EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6

will go to a maximum aperture of f3.5 at 18mm and f5.6 at 55mm. Does that make sense? It depends on how much or little you've zoomed. Not sure what the minimum aperture is.

Same rationale applies to the other lens.

ETA Woops, too slow

No sigh I will read everyones descriptions again and try really hard to stop my eyes glazing over. thankyou all, I appreciate it.

Tahna, you and I can be confused together, sooner of later the penny has to drop.....surely

I feel like such a

Have a look at the FRONT of the 18-55 (take lens cap off), anything there?

OK, I'll write everything I see

this is the EF-S 18-55

CANON ZOOM LENS EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 then there's a funny symbol like ll with a line top and bottom, probably greek then further round CANON INC. and further again a symbol like circle with a line through it and then 58mm

On the EF 75-300 I dont need to take the cap off it's just written around the edge

all the same as the first CANON ZOOM LENS EF 75-300mm then 1:4-5.6 and again the circle symbol 58mm

so, does any of that tell me f stops

I wish I could find a camera course nearby

What lenses have you got, which 'kit' lenses did you get?

Anyway, the smaller the number the faster the lens is.

So if you have a 5.6 lens, an f4 or f2.8 (or f1.8) would be 'faster'.

I've got the twin lens kit with EF-S 18-55 & EF 75-300 there's not mention of fstops that I can see.

It sounds like the lens you were using will only go down to f/4.

The only option...

Buy a faster lens

What lens were you using?

How can I tell by just looking at my lens what the f stop range is? forgive me if I am not saying it correctly, I dont know camera speak. there's lots of writing on it but no mention of f stops whereas on my dear old film Minolta (that I never learned to use properly ) it shows an f stop range of 3.5-22, well, I think thats what it is.

Yep - that's it - it'll open as wide as f/3.5 and close down to f/22.

But I cant see anything like that on the digital Canon lens so how does one know, just by looking at the modern lens?

It sounds like the lens you were using will only go down to f/4.

The only option...

Buy a faster lens

What lens were you using?

How can I tell by just looking at my lens what the f stop range is? forgive me if I am not saying it correctly, I dont know camera speak. there's lots of writing on it but no mention of f stops whereas on my dear old film Minolta (that I never learned to use properly ) it shows an f stop range of 3.5-22, well, I think thats what it is.

That's terrible. I am so sorry for you and your little man. The only good thing for him is that it was instant, one second he was having fun, the next........ but you must be in shock. Again, I am so sorry.

You're GOOD!

I had a play with my Canon today in monochrome and wanted a very shallow depth of field. I put it on AV and twiddled the dial but the lowest I could get it to go was f4. What do I need to do to get it lower? I'm new to this.

Linda

It sounds like the lens you were using will only go down to f/4.

The only option...

Buy a faster lens

What lens were you using?

aaaaaaaah! so now it starts to make sense, all this talk of faster lenses. I got the kit lenses with the Canon 400D that since I've bought it I hear they're not so good.

Can you hear my teeth gnashing in frustration?