Shutter speed (nikon d60)

ok so how do i go about achieving this??

getting another camera really isnt an option.... unless it came with a lens that did the trick :p :lol:

if i can do that then i will wait until the summer shows and shoot outdoors

have to say though - i can photograph obedience - which as most of you probly know is slower. - even in indoors i did a horse show indoors once just on 'auto' (yes i know haha) and most were fine! just needed editing....
but they were just walk/trot ones - no jumping!!! or faster than that!

for this year at least im sticking to local/easy stuff and if i get to grips with the camera by the end of this year - well sept - i will buy a better lens.....
 
I think that is your answer. Work within the limits of you equipment, then when the time is right and you have the finances in place, add what you need to your kit to take the next step. Maybe look to getting an 85mm f1.8, a very fast lens which may provide the focal length you need and at a very reasonable price (around £300)
 
suze23 said:
ok so how do i go about achieving this??
getting another camera really isnt an option.... unless it came with a lens that did the trick :p :lol:

if i can do that then i will wait until the summer shows and shoot outdoors

have to say though - i can photograph obedience - which as most of you probly know is slower. - even in indoors i did a horse show indoors once just on 'auto' (yes i know haha) and most were fine! just needed editing....
but they were just walk/trot ones - no jumping!!! or faster than that!

for this year at least im sticking to local/easy stuff and if i get to grips with the camera by the end of this year - well sept - i will buy a better lens.....
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You need more light Suze. A new lens won't help much. If the pic you posted is representative and the best you can get is 1/2sec with ISO400, then you're miles off. Five stops at least just to have a chance. You'll get two stops out of an expensive f/2.8 lens, then a top end camera with really good high ISO like 3200 or 6400, say £2k roughly, and even then the image quality will be far from perfect.

These places are notoriously bad for light and the normal photographic solution, ie a long shutter speed, is not an option because of the movement. Get somebody to turn the lights up a bit, buy some brighter bulbs, find a way to use flash. You just need more light.
 
The 2nd picture above is due to camera shake.When using a high ISO the more prone U are to camera shake.Use a monopod/tripod and a shutter release. :rules:
 
How high have you tried the ISO on your camera ?

This was taken on a D40 at 1600 ISO, now I know the dog is probably moving a bit slower than then ones you will be shooting.

But the noise on this looks acceptable to me.

 
fabs said:
I think that is your answer. Work within the limits of you equipment, then when the time is right and you have the finances in place, add what you need to your kit to take the next step. Maybe look to getting an 85mm f1.8, a very fast lens which may provide the focal length you need and at a very reasonable price (around £300)
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ok thanks.... when the student lloan arrives (lol) i may be able to fund something around that price :)

HoppyUK said:
You need more light Suze. A new lens won't help much. If the pic you posted is representative and the best you can get is 1/2sec with ISO400, then you're miles off. Five stops at least just to have a chance. You'll get two stops out of an expensive f/2.8 lens, then a top end camera with really good high ISO like 3200 or 6400, say £2k roughly, and even then the image quality will be far from perfect.


These places are notoriously bad for light and the normal photographic solution, ie a long shutter speed, is not an option because of the movement. Get somebody to turn the lights up a bit, buy some brighter bulbs, find a way to use flash. You just need more light.
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hmm yep dont have £2k just yet lol! and tbh right now woulnt/couldnt justify that on a camera...(student...)!

they are a bit funny about th elights - they keep going and not very good....

leaky5 said:
How high have you tried the ISO on your camera ?

This was taken on a D40 at 1600 ISO, now I know the dog is probably moving a bit slower than then ones you will be shooting.

But the noise on this looks acceptable to me.

Click to expand...

yes absolutely fine pic...

the next indoor is actually a tad brighter BUT i havent been asked to do that show (its our club that runs it though) they already have a photographer and although i wouldnt be selling my pics or even putting them online i cant go toe treading :/ even though it would be good practise :(




what im not getting (again learning curve) sorry lol... is the lenses; the different for e.g between these;;
Nikon 70-300mm F4-5.6G Telephoto Autofocus Zoom Lens
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

mabey ive completely no idea/lost the plot but...... anyone know lol?
 
ok i'll ask our show organisers if they wouldnt mind...

i would only be there for an hour or two anyhow tbh as iwould have one of my dogs with me (whos mean to be competing) :(

Im going to start emailing round shows too to ask for practise - if they want any of the photos im happy to let them charge th epeople to raise money for their club or a charity....


anyone know about the difference in lenses posted above?
 
Since you are looking for a lens for low light I would stay away from zooms above 200mm. The lenses you have quote will have very little difference, if you look at the numbers quoted with the lens they show you the widest aperture at minimum and maximum focal length. At 70mm it would be 4 and at 300mm 5.6. The lower the number the wider the aperture the more light gets in. As suggested earlier a 85 1.8 would be a great indoor lens or even a 70-200 2.8
 
thanks :)

does this board do rep as by right i well owe you rep lol1! :D

i have a 18-55mm - i will definately lookingto investing in another lens as i really do love photography but its the £££ involved.

I have taken everything on board and definately not giving up at shows yet but luckily i can be ded straight with the organisers and say "ive had expert opinions and my camera will not go for anything like this..."

will keep trying though and mabey a miracle might happen!?

:lol:
 
Only if you want manual focus and probably manual metering, plus 50mm might be a little short.

Your body does not have an internal focus motor so you need lenses with built in motors AF-S Nikon, HSM Sigma etc.
 
sorry what now?? :lol: (im not ignorant just a beginner and haveing to learn pretty damn quick now haha)!

you mean i physically turn the lens to get the focus distance??
 
You turn the focus ring to focus on your subject, not to bad if they are static. Your kit lens will have a switch on the side A/M switch it on to M and the focus ring is the narrow ring at the front of the lens, go have a play :D
 
i will - the camera is coming out in a min

*supposed to be un uni learning finance...*

much rather play with camera :lol:
 
Suze, you need a lens which will autofocus. That lens will not I'm afraid. As you have a D60, the lenses you need to look out for are ones with AF-S in the title. These come with their own focusing motor.

I'm a bit of an amateur myself so feel free to ignore this advice. I agree with what Richard said above, even the fastest lens isn't going to help you out much in those conditions. A monopod/tripod is out of the question because you still need to freeze the motion of the dog, indoors this is impossible unless you can utilise the flash in some way and for that you need to get close.

If you are hell bent on trying a new lens, consider the 50mm 1.8 AF-S. This is a fixed focal length lens but it lets in lots of light, allowing you to use better (read faster) shutters speeds thus reducing camera shake.

I would also recommend you go no higher than ISO 800 on your D60. 800 was fine on my D40x (they're very similar cameras) but anything more and the grain was terrible.

Try and get your picture taking technique down to an art as well. Press the shutter release button slowly, breathe in and hold your breath if it helps. Relax and try to take your time and see the shot coming. Handheld in good light you should be able to take nice, sharp pictures at 1/60sec. From there it's a matter of improving and moving onto indoor situations.

I hope some of this helps you. Good luck!

Dave
 
There is no need to manually focus your lens (not unless you want to make things harder for yourself). The 18-55 is an AF-S lens. Point to what you want to focus on and push the shutter release half way, on default settings the lens will focus and you will hear a beep. Do this on something close to you, and something far away and note the readings on the lens itself.
 
Chumpalot said:
There is no need to manually focus your lens .
Click to expand...

There is if she wants to know how a manual lens works, older manual focus lenses are not to be ignored if you know how to use them.
 
foggy4ever said:
There is if she wants to know how a manual lens works, older manual focus lenses are not to be ignored if you know how to use them.
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Apologies, I missed the bit where Suze said she wanted to do this.

It's really not necessary though and would be incredibly difficult for someone who's familiar with cameras, let alone a beginner.

Walking before running and all that....
 
I don't think she wants to manual focus shes just looking at cheap lenses. I got hold of and old e series 50 1.8 when I first got my D60, with a little practice it's a great lens for static subjects with great Bokeh for £20.
 
foggy4ever said:
I don't think she wants to manual focus shes just looking at cheap lenses. I got hold of and old e series 50 1.8 when I first got my D60, with a little practice it's a great lens for static subjects with great Bokeh for £20.
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Quite true. Though that's not really going to help here is it.

Suze wouldn't go far wrong with a 1.8 50mm in my opinion.
 
Suze, I think the bit you are struggling with on the lens front is understanding the f/number.

It defines the amount of light passing to the sensor - I think you've got that bit. The confusing part is that although f/numbers are related by a halving/doubling relationship, just like shutter speeds and ISO, the actual numbers are related by the square root of 2, ie 1.4.

The range of full f/numbers runs like this f/1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22 etc although you can also get intermediate settings like f/1.8, or f/3.5, or f/4.5

Every halving or doubling of exposure is known as a 'stop' and each of those numbers above has either half or double the light passing ability of the one either side.

This is the fundamental of exposure setting and you mix and match f/number with shutter speeds and ISO, in a wide range of permutations, to get it right.

Going back to the example you posted taken at 1/2sec shutter speed and your need for about five stops more exposure, another way of putting that is the light needs to be 32x brighter. 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 32

Students like reading don't they? Have a go at this, Understanding Photography, aimed at folks like you :) http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=99841
 
thank all :D

just went out in the garden to have a mess about - got the action shots - in focus no problem....outside.

Im not 100% i want a new lens - but i will need one as discovered in this thread.... because of the pictures i want to take! indoors - most months ideally....

like i said before i did do an indoor show with horses (btw this is purely practise obviously i am not charging!!!) i wasnt even meant to be there and just doing pics for my mate and the show organiser asked me to stay :/

those pictures came out good imo... for having the camer 24 hours.... and being worse than i am now :lol:

if i wasnt bothered about dog shows then this wouldnt even be a problem - but that is where my intrests are....
 
My post may have came across as "you can't do it!", if so I apologise! I didn't quite mean it that way. As others have pointed out, once you are aware of your limitations there's no reason you can't go in there and get some great shots. If your shutter speeds are really slow, bump up the ISO (if you can) and just see what happens. It's all about practice, getting to know your equipment, etc.

One thing to note, getting an 85mm is well and good for the reach and better apperture... but remember, the long the focal length of lens the easier it is to blur. Think of it like a really long stick! It's easier to hold a short stick steadier. The same goes for lenses, it's easier to hold an image steadier on a 35mm than an 85mm (even if both lens are physically the same size it still matters). So, a very general rule of thumb is that you should have a shutter speed at least higher than your focal length. So at 35mm you might get away with 1/50. But at 85mm you'll probably want to be shooting at 1/100.

This is all good stuff for you to learn so that when you're in there you'll understand why you run into issues, and then you can think about how to fix them :)
 
thanks karmagarda.... no it wasnt negative at all - i do appreicate everyones posts - good or bad!


its just rather ittitating that my cr*p digital camera can get clear indoor shots!!

went to another indoor last year and took some pics of show jumping and although they arnt fabulous - they came out,,,, unlike my nikon... which is pretty anooying lol

i guess its a case of trial and eerror then! will see if i can go down friday and do anything.... if not then i'll tell them i cant do it :(
 
Hi Suze. I got a D60 in sept last year and like you was not impressed. The auto setting does a pretty crap job, producing pictures much inferior to a cheap compact.

As everyone has said put the camera into aperture priority mode (A on the knob on the top)

Then using the edge on knob, open the aperture fully, ie biggest hole on the graphic.

Press the bottom button on the LHS of the rear of the camera, (+) this allows you to navigate the menues with the 4 way selector.

On the RHS of the display you will see a columb of items, the top one of which will be highlighted.

Navigate down, using the 4 way button to the 4th item down - the default is iso 100.

Press OK, and set it to 1600.


I hope this helps.
 
Chumpalot said:
If you are hell bent on trying a new lens, consider the 50mm 1.8 AF-S.
Click to expand...

There's no such lens. Let's not confuse the issue! The 50mm AF-D f/1.8 doesn't autofocus on the D60 so it's out for this purpose, neither will the 85mm AF-D f/1.8 for that matter, the lens I would otherwise suggest. The 50mm AF-S f/1.4 will autofocus at the cost of £269. Maybe look for a cheap Sigma or Tamron f/2.8 zoom on the classifieds here, but care must be taken to make sure it will AF on the D60 (lens requires a built-in motor).

I'd like to see some shots from Suze at 1/100, f/4, ISO 1600 at the next event. They might be a bit dark but these are literally the fastest settings sensibly available to you with the gear you've got. You never know, you might get something. Noise stands out like a sore thumb to photographers, but laypeople don't notice it, so don't be afraid of ISO 1600. It's far more preferable than motion blur.

This is the photographic equivalent of trying to dig the Channel tunnel with a hand trowel. ;)
 
thanks guys :)

i will see if i can go down friday.... and practise rather than practise at the show lol!

they wouldnt have a photographer anyhow so i dont feel too bad tbh....

im hoping it will be in a differnt indoor which is a tad better - still not great but we shall see....

will email now act :)
 
martsharm said:
There's no such lens. Let's not confuse the issue! The 50mm AF-D f/1.8 doesn't autofocus on the D60 so it's out for this purpose, neither will the 85mm AF-D f/1.8 for that matter, the lens I would otherwise suggest. The 50mm AF-S f/1.4 will autofocus at the cost of £269. Maybe look for a cheap Sigma or Tamron f/2.8 zoom on the classifieds here, but care must be taken to make sure it will AF on the D60 (lens requires a built-in motor).

I'd like to see some shots from Suze at 1/100, f/4, ISO 1600 at the next event. They might be a bit dark but these are literally the fastest settings sensibly available to you with the gear you've got. You never know, you might get something. Noise stands out like a sore thumb to photographers, but laypeople don't notice it, so don't be afraid of ISO 1600. It's far more preferable than motion blur.

This is the photographic equivalent of trying to dig the Channel tunnel with a hand trowel. ;)
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These are quite good points to note! The 50mm AF-S is actually 1.4, so even though it's better than the 1.8... as above, you pay the price at £269. Also, the only 85mm I know of that will focus on a D60 is either f3.5 or f4. And, if I recall correctly, it's a macro lens so that's why it's not really 100% suited to the job at hand.
 
thanks again :D

well must have done something right, been asked to photograph my friends baby in summer :)

soo mega loads of practise before then - this ones really important :)

Have a few months yet and probably renting lighting/backdrop ina studio for it and then shoot on location - im ded excited :D (how sad!)

okkk £300 is veryyy reasonable!!!

if anyone can point me in the right direction?? ebay?? pcworld?? currys???

ta :D

p.s i understand the lens speed!!!! :D

your all fab :D
 
Well at least babies don't run around the room as fast as dogs! :D

Actually I don't quite follow the rest of the post - are you planning on buying the 50mm f/1.4 AF-S? If you are, bear in mind the following -

1. It's not particularly long, so make sure you're going to get the magnification you want (check the length using the kit lens first)
2. It'll be tricky (!) to focus accurately on a moving dog from distance at f/1.4

If you want a challenge, pre-order from your local Jessops with quidco and get 6% cashback, bringing it in at £271.
 
Or ask Kerso for a quote! He's very competitive even on some of the Nikon products. Seek him out in the advertisers section :)
 
to be honest if it was me i would set it to semi automatic (aperture/shutter priority), get your 70-300mm and set your shutter speed (for this you need to be on shutter priority) and set it to 1/250 sec and if there still blurred then get faster (eg. 1/500). as for ISO i will stick it on auto because the camera will choose the correct iso AFTER its tried to open the aperture as wide as possible. if this doesnt do it then i dont know what will..oh and as stated previously we dont know what conditions you will face so settings could face a dramatic change.
 
Just my opinion but to get the highest shutter speed possible, set the camera to A mode with the widest possible aperture and set the ISO as high as it'll go. I have a feeling that you'll still strugle to freeze the movement but you may get it down to an acceptable level. Other than that, it's spend money time - faster lenses will help as will a body capable of higher ISOs than 1600. I suppose the ultimate answer would be a D700 and a 70-200 f/2.8 but that's not a cheap option. (OK, a D3s is the ULTIMATE answer but I was sort of staying a little bit in the real world!)
 
martsharm said:
Well at least babies don't run around the room as fast as dogs! :D

Actually I don't quite follow the rest of the post - are you planning on buying the 50mm f/1.4 AF-S? If you are, bear in mind the following -

1. It's not particularly long, so make sure you're going to get the magnification you want (check the length using the kit lens first)
2. It'll be tricky (!) to focus accurately on a moving dog from distance at f/1.4

If you want a challenge, pre-order from your local Jessops with quidco and get 6% cashback, bringing it in at £271.
Click to expand...


thanks :) not set in stone yet but if i want to succeed its apparant i will need a quicker lens :)

(and i a aperfectionist lol.... anything less wont do for me lol)

karmagarda said:
Or ask Kerso for a quote! He's very competitive even on some of the Nikon products. Seek him out in the advertisers section :)
Click to expand...

thanks - i feel another thread coming along... :D

mastertrinity said:
to be honest if it was me i would set it to semi automatic (aperture/shutter priority), get your 70-300mm and set your shutter speed (for this you need to be on shutter priority) and set it to 1/250 sec and if there still blurred then get faster (eg. 1/500). as for ISO i will stick it on auto because the camera will choose the correct iso AFTER its tried to open the aperture as wide as possible. if this doesnt do it then i dont know what will..oh and as stated previously we dont know what conditions you will face so settings could face a dramatic change.
Click to expand...

thanks...i can post a video if that helps??? its me competing in an indoor but it gives you an idea of light/movement???

Nod said:
Just my opinion but to get the highest shutter speed possible, set the camera to A mode with the widest possible aperture and set the ISO as high as it'll go. I have a feeling that you'll still strugle to freeze the movement but you may get it down to an acceptable level. Other than that, it's spend money time - faster lenses will help as will a body capable of higher ISOs than 1600. I suppose the ultimate answer would be a D700 and a 70-200 f/2.8 but that's not a cheap option. (OK, a D3s is the ULTIMATE answer but I was sort of staying a little bit in the real world!)
Click to expand...

D700? grand or two? guessing...?

i can manage £300 tops at the moment but i do really like my camera :p
 
martsharm said:
There's no such lens. Let's not confuse the issue! The 50mm AF-D f/1.8 doesn't autofocus on the D60 so it's out for this purpose, neither will the 85mm AF-D f/1.8 for that matter, the lens I would otherwise suggest. The 50mm AF-S f/1.4 will autofocus at the cost of £269. Maybe look for a cheap Sigma or Tamron f/2.8 zoom on the classifieds here, but care must be taken to make sure it will AF on the D60 (lens requires a built-in motor).
Click to expand...

I stand corrected. Thanks for that.
 
so my next challenge is to buy;;;

50mm AF-S f/1.4 for my d60??

started looking on ebay and they are around £270ish

but not had a proper good research yet.... but juts to make sure i have the right lens

thanks :)
 
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