neither mono nor tri pod-equipped
I am steadily looking at my NYC2 photos and realizing I was potentially too foolhardy to use lower film speed settings on the Rebel. With neither an IS lens to assist nor the aid of a tripod, I am afraid I prematurely pulled the lifeline on a basketfull of promising shots.
But, really, I haven’t learned a lesson from this. I have done it in the past and will do it more, I’m sure. Some of my favorite images are taken at the lowest possible film speeds for those circumstances, resulting in the least image grain possible and also in my adamant determination to underestimate my shaking hands.
However, regarding the shots from the Empire State Building, it was indescribably windy and freezing - I was hopeless given my bold but novice photographic skills.
Sulking in these image woes, I listen to Cash.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
I’ve found that with modern digital cameras, there is no reason to ever shoot less than 400 ISO. CCD and CMOS are quite different than film in that their sensitivity to digital noise is constant regardless of what ISO you use. ISO is a post-capture process on most digital cameras (equivalent to digital gain), so your aperture setting is much more important than your ISO setting, as the aperture actually controls the light hitting the sensor.
March 9th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Due to the city’s tendency to block out much sunlight, I assumed 400 would be the slowest I could handle given my talent. Even then, I was unable to get true clarity in some conditions. I need to try shooting in Aperture priority mode rather than Manual or Program.
But, about your point “constant regardless of what ISO..”, using ISO 1600 on the XTi produces very noticeable noise - why I’ve avoided shooting in fast film speeds if possible.
March 9th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Being the geek that I am, I just love camera acronyms. I counted 10 in this post alone. :-r
March 9th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Do you mean camera “jargon”? And if the prior wasn’t enough, the next NYC trip, NYC3, will be a lavish overexposure to local delicacies, like fish eyes, from a thoroughly wide-angle perspective.
March 12th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Yes, ISO 1600 will produce lots of noise because it’s amplifying the light data the sensor actually recorded. Aperture and exposure length actually control how much light hit the sensor. The problem with digital SLRs is that they try to think too much for the user. A film SLR wouldn’t compensate exposure length or adjust the aperture just because you use a particular ISO. It’s a conundrum.
March 13th, 2007 at 5:36 am
Just a little off topic, but how do you like the XTi overall? I’m seriously considering picking one up to augment my Kodak V550.
March 13th, 2007 at 8:08 am
I am afraid it is not possible to augment a point&shoot with a dSLR. At least from my experience, I would not recommend purchasing a dSLR unless you planned on using it as primary. Since I got the XTi, I have touched my old PowerShot only three times, one of them to recharge the batteries.
Stick with your V550 unless you plan on putting it to rest.