I have a new 50mm 1.8

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jomantha

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Any tips on using it would be great - thanks.
 
That's what I am planning to do once I get over my hangover :)
 
I know that feeling...

In all seriousness, I would try and find out the limitations of shooting at f/1.8. It can be tempting to try and do shallow DoF on everything but you may find that you're not getting all your subject in focus or even that you're missing the focus because you're moving.
 
I think the D3000 has a max shutter speed of 1/4000?

If that's the case you may struggle to use f1.8 in good light so it may be worth getting an ND filter.

My Canon DSLR's have a max shutter speed of 1/8000 and I often hit the max when shooting at f1.4 (I know that's a little wider than f1.8) in good light. My MFT cameras are limited to 1/4000 so I bought a ND2 and a ND4 and sometimes have to fit them both to keep the shutter speed below 1/4000.
 
Thanks - I bought it because I'm struggling to get decent shots of the kids and lose the background.

I'll have a play with it later - and if you are right pick up a few filters from the classifieds.
 
It'll only be a problem in good light at max aperture, but on a day out in the park or at the beach in good light it could be and issue.
 
spooky, I have just been into town to order that very same lens for my D3000!. So I don't really have much to offer in advice yet but I do know that it won't auto focus with this body. (you probably already know that) Having said that I am told that a prime lens is great for portraits and getting up close to your subject. let us know how you get on.
 
Its HARD to use, there are the best of the bad lot I have taken this afternoon!

I am struggling with both the focusing (not used to manual focus) and the lighting, and although my children are lovely, they dont do keeping still :)


DSC_0573 by jomantha, on Flickr


DSC_0578 by jomantha, on Flickr


DSC_0569 by jomantha, on Flickr
 
they're not bad shots but as you stated not quite in focus

the problem is, wide open these lenses have a very shallow depth of field and any movement will lose the focus point, coupled with using manual focus it makes it tricky

I'll be honest with you its not something im good at and given the cicumstances you've done ok, I'd try a smaller aperture and work from there
 
jomantha said:
Vixen, you maybe interested in this thread [[http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=388090]]

mrgas, I'll just keep practising, maybe on someone older than them who will keep still,my friend wants me to take some pictures of her baby, thats the main reason I got it :)
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I had the Nikon F1.4 and struggled like hell to start with, I made the classic mistake of wanting to shoot everything wide open because of the effects it gives, problem was I was missing the focus point more often than not.
50mm lenses are great though and well worth sticking with
 
you have lovely photogenic children and the light is great but i see what you mean about the focus issue. I am far more used to relying on the auto focus so i am now a little worried about getting this lens!. I am hoping to invest in a newer body in the near future and i know the 50mm will do auto focus with that so there's some reassurance. Have you got a someone who will model and keep still just until you are more used to it? or a still object perhaps? good luck with it!

oh and thanks for the links too.
 
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I practised on things that didn't move around too much! That helped. And manual focus too. Take it out to some railings or a fence or a line of trees, and see where the autofocus takes you :)

Vixen is right, btw - your children are very photogenic.
 
Thanks, for the comments on my children, I think they are extremely beautiful, but then I am biased, they love the camera!

Mel, thanks I will do just that its lovely and sunny here in south wales.
 
Just because it can go to 1.8 doesn't mean you have to use it. A 50 1.7 is the only lens I have on my SLR and when walking about shooting I am usually at 5.6 or 6.3. The beauty of it is I know 1.7 is there when I want it.

I prefer primes as I know what the shot will be framed like before even looking through the camera as I am so used to the lens.

The limitation is that it is often not wide enough (on APS-C) and only so far I can walk backwards...
 
Don't be too hard on yourself. These aren't far off. Are you using the focus confirmation dot and central focus point? Also your shutter speeds are pretty low at 1/50. Not only is difficult to hand hold a 50mm on a crop body at that speed but you'll struggle to freeze your subjects. Under that sort of light I'd pop the iso up to 400 and use 1/100. You'll give yourself a much better chance of getting sharp shots.
 
Welcome to the guarenteed "slightly out of focus shots of our children when using a nifty fifty club"!:D

You are not alone.

You'll find my posts about the same subject about a month ago!

I have 2 young ones also, and getting them to stay in the frame never mind still, is like herding cats.

My learning points echo the above - use shutter prioirty mode and aim for 1/100 or 1/250 minimum, but be mindful and don't try and take piccies initially less than f7 or f8. This increases the dof so is more forgiving. Bump up the ISO if needs be. As you get better, you can start to increase the aperture.

Centre point focus helps hugely, aiming for the eyes if possible. Back button focussing takes a little while to get used to but helps a lot.

I know it sounds daft but a mounted flash during daylight can also help. The infra red sensor used by the flash to set focus also sharpens everything up.

Shoot in RAW, and adding a sepia filter is really nice.

And finally don't be hard on yourself. I would say my hit rate of shots I keep is less than 1 in 10, maybe even less. I haven't nailed one yet I'm really really proud of, but I'm slowlygetting there, mainly in part thanks to the fantastic advice I've had on this forum. :clap:

Best of luck!
 
I shot some pics of my firends dog the other day with my 50mm 1.8 and had it wide open and had the dog nose pin sharp but everything else was not so good, practice makes perfect
 
Still hard work with this - I have 2 pictures I want to keep!!!!
 
jomantha said:
Still hard work with this - I have 2 pictures I want to keep!!!!
Click to expand...

Stick some examples up with exif. Maybe there is something simple you can change to give yourself a better hit rate.
 
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