New camera, help needed...please!!

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Paul Nellist

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Hi people, had my new a200 a few days now and been lovin it!!
very rarely had it on auto as i want to learn how it works manually.
Just been trying to do some 'motion' shots of the road out of my window, im not trying to get any fantastic shots,just to get the effect then maybe develop it!!
trouble is all im getting is a white screen....obviously settings are all wrong!!
Iv got ISO at 100, appature at its lowest which is f5.6 and a 0.5" shutter speed.
Now before you all roll around laughing the first time i picked a DSLR up was yesterday so this is all trial and error, i am only interperating logicaly what i have read!!
Am i on the right lines or totally wrong??...i do understand why im getting a white screen...too much light!! but with the appature and sensitivity at their lowest how can i get a long exposure without 'flooding' the shot....???

Thanks in advance folks...

Paul...
 
flyingmonkeycorp said:
You want the aperture at a much higher number. Higher f/number = narrower aperture = less light gets in.
Click to expand...

err...not quite, though you're technically correct...

he needs a faster shutter speed - half a second???
At 100iso, try about 250th @ f/5.6 in overcast/cloudy conditions, 250th @ f/8 in sunny...see how it goes from there...
 
When you say 'motion' shots, do you mean shots that are deliberately blurred?

If so, then you could struggle because there might be too much light for slow shutter speeds.

For a blurry traffic effect then I'd guess at a 1 second exposure, but that might be letting in too much light, even at your smallest aperture of F22 or whatver. If you could go lower than 100 ISO then it would be an answer, but I doubt you can on that camera.

A pro would use neutral density filters to cut down the amount of light entering the camera.

Consider taking the photos when it's darker, but for now minimum aperture, minimum ISO and try various shutter speeds until you get to a point where it nearly works.
 
Paul Nellist said:
too much light!! but with the appature and sensitivity at their lowest how can i get a long exposure without 'flooding' the shot....???
Click to expand...
The correct answer is:
flyingmonkeycorp said:
You want the aperture at a much higher number. Higher f/number = narrower aperture = less light gets in.
Click to expand...
That will give motion blur on the shot, which is what I think you are asking about. ;)
 
cheviot said:
The correct answer is:
That will give motion blur on the shot, which is what I think you are asking about. ;)
Click to expand...


nope one of the correct answers is that. Sounds like over exposure and blowing everything our to me. As Aradky suggests try reducing your shutter speed to around 1/250 for a start

Hugh
 
Just to try and put it in English

The wider you set the aperture(smaller the number) the faster you need to set the shutter to expose the shot correctly.

For the light you have available a wide aperture and slow exposure will way overexpose the shot.

Get hold of the book " Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. It will explain a lot about the relationship between light, aperture, shutter and iso settings.
 
Stick it onto "Auto" mode, take a few shots then look at the picture info, see what the cameras chosen, that should give you some idea on shutter and aperture for the light conditions.
 
Almost certainly a result of getting way too much light in. Stop down your aperture a lot, although quite how much will depend on the effect you're trying to achieve.

Are you trying to do a panning shot (following traffic so the car is sharp and the background blurred), or are you trying to make the scene static with the blurred tail light effect?

If panning then your shutter speed is much too slow. I'd recommend starting at 1/200th and working down. You might find it helpful to put the camera into shutter priority mode (Tv) for a while, and take note of the apertures it's using to let in the correct amount of light.
 
thanks guys!!...looks like i had the 'f' number the wrong way round!!....you learn from your mistakes as they say...
Im just trying to learn about the camera at the moment....
im just trying to get a motion blur of the cars on the road as i hold the camera still...now i have adjusted the aparture to around f25 im getting somewere close,i still think i may need some kind of filter *** because the shot is still very bright
The reason im trying this is that im going to the Promenade Stages next weekend in New Brighton on the Wirral....hopefully get some good action shots of the cars on stage....i'll keep practicing....lol

Thanks again...

Paul..
 
boyfalldown said:
nope one of the correct answers is that. Sounds like over exposure and blowing everything our to me. As Aradky suggests try reducing your shutter speed to around 1/250 for a start

Hugh
Click to expand...

1. the OP is using half a second. 1/250 would be increasing the shutter speed

2. the op wants to achieve a long exposure. 1/250 is a short exposure, or at least much shorter than 0.5 sec.

So to answer the OPs question is, narrow the aperture with a high f stop so he can retain a long exposure and I presume experiment with motion blur.
 
Paul Nellist said:
thanks guys!!...looks like i had the 'f' number the wrong way round!!....you learn from your mistakes as they say...
Im just trying to learn about the camera at the moment....
im just trying to get a motion blur of the cars on the road as i hold the camera still...now i have adjusted the aparture to around f25 im getting somewere close,i still think i may need some kind of filter *** because the shot is still very bright
The reason im trying this is that im going to the Promenade Stages next weekend in New Brighton on the Wirral....hopefully get some good action shots of the cars on stage....i'll keep practicing....lol

Thanks again...

Paul..
Click to expand...

Good stuff. If you get bitten by the motion blur and effects of long exposures, you might want to consider getting a Neutral Density filter. Somewhere on this forum is a tip about using welders glass. Cheap as chips and probably does the job well.

Good luck
 
cheviot said:
1. the OP is using half a second. 1/250 would be increasing the shutter speed

2. the op wants to achieve a long exposure. 1/250 is a short exposure, or at least much shorter than 0.5 sec.

So to answer the OPs question is, narrow the aperture with a high f stop so he can retain a long exposure and I presume experiment with motion blur.
Click to expand...

1. Pedant, you reduce the amount of time the shutter is open though, & its completly obvious how the term was meant.

2. Well you're half right - although for panning 1/250 - 1/200 seems a good place to start, especially with f5.6

Hugh
 
Paul Nellist said:
thanks guys!!...looks like i had the 'f' number the wrong way round!!....you learn from your mistakes as they say...
Im just trying to learn about the camera at the moment....
im just trying to get a motion blur of the cars on the road as i hold the camera still...now i have adjusted the aparture to around f25 im getting somewere close,i still think i may need some kind of filter *** because the shot is still very bright
The reason im trying this is that im going to the Promenade Stages next weekend in New Brighton on the Wirral....hopefully get some good action shots of the cars on stage....i'll keep practicing....lol

Thanks again...

Paul..
Click to expand...

I think you'll be disappointed with the results if you take pictures of rally cars that way. What you should be doing is setting the shutter speed somewhere between 1/20 and 1/100 (I suggest using shutter priority mode so that camera works out the aperture for you) and panning the camera with the car. The aim being to get a nice sharp car and a blurred background, giving the impression of speed.

EDIT: Don't beat yourself up if you can't get it right.... it's very difficult to get that effect just right!
 
cheviot said:
Good stuff. If you get bitten by the motion blur and effects of long exposures, you might want to consider getting a Neutral Density filter. Somewhere on this forum is a tip about using welders glass. Cheap as chips and probably does the job well.

Good luck
Click to expand...

I am already 'bitten'..lol.. i really love the effects that can be acieved this way in all different aspects!!
I have seen the post about the welding glass..looks interesting but i think would be a little too dark for what i want!!!

Thanks to all for the advice..all taken on board and hopefully ill get some good shots next weekend......
as soon as i can figure out how to post pics up here ill share them with you....

Thanks again...

Paul...:thumbs:
 
For this kind of thing you might be better ditching manual. Use aperture priority and select a narrow aperture (high f number) and let your camera tell you what shutter speed it can manage. Alternatively use shutter priority. Tell the camera what shutter speed you want and it will pick the right aperture for you (if it is able)
 
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