SLR's are terrible...

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urbanx

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Hey,
I take a lot of photo's with a lot of cameras. I'm no photographer, I don't purport to be. Sometime I have a long time to take photos and I can shoot 100 variations on manual, and spend hours post processing them. My usual set up is a Canon 500D, with a Sigma 10-20mm.

But sometimes I take 'snaps'. I know an SLR is different from a compact, and need more input to get a decent image.
BUT.... (Note the bigger BUT)

This was a snap, hand held, in daylight, Av priority. F8 1/30 10mm


It's wildy overexposed. This is straight out of the camera, so I'm assuming the slightly darker area by he tree has thrown the whole image out. Fine. I didn't use a light meter or take multiple exposes on manual.

Here is 100% at the centre:


Is it just me, or is this a bit s**t for £1000 of gear?

To clarify, I'm not generally disappointed with my gear or ability, I love some of my images that I have more time to expose properly, I'm just bowled over by he lack of quality of an 'off the cuff' shot.

Thoughts / harsh criticism please...
 
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You say AV mode

What about the metering mode ?

Could it be reading off the door ?
 
Thanks for pointing out I'm carrying around £3000 worth of junk. Off to buy an iPhone.

F1 cars are rubbish, too. Every time I get in one the stupid thing crashes. Same goes for ......
 
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dinners said:
You say AV mode

What about the metering mode ?

Could it be reading off the door ?
Click to expand...

500D isn't that clever to that. The scene is fairly bright so would underexpose on average or evaluative metering. However my money is on bashed lens with broken aperture. Old generation Simgas were dire performers.
 
daugirdas said:
500D isn't that clever to that.
Click to expand...

If it's spot metering / centre weighted metering off the darker part of the door then (given the white walls and bright sky) it could be overexposing the rest of the scene .
 
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dinners said:
If it's spot metering / centre weighted metering off the brown door then it could be overexposing the rest of the scene given the white walls and bright sky.
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EXIF: Metering Mode -Pattern

that should settle it.
 
Ignoring exposure, is this the sharpest I should expect for a snap* from £1k of kit?

* by snap I mean 1/30sec - handheld...yes I went there


"Thanks for pointing out I'm carrying around £3000 worth of junk. Off to buy an iPhone"

Cheers for the sarcasm. Kinda what I'm routing at tho. My iphone is waaaay better than my SLR in daylight. I'm considering buying around £4,000 of 'junk' at the moment, but worried about the snap-ability factor of it. Most situations I'm in are in conflict / disaster zones hence my obsession with taking photos off the hoof!

Constructive answers from now please....
 
urbanx said:
Ignoring exposure, is this the sharpest I should expect for a snap* from £1k of kit?

* by snap I mean 1/30sec - handheld...yes I went there


"Thanks for pointing out I'm carrying around £3000 worth of junk. Off to buy an iPhone"

Cheers for the sarcasm. Kinda what I'm routing at tho. My iphone is waaaay better than my SLR in daylight. I'm considering buying around £4,000 of 'junk' at the moment, but worried about the snap-ability factor of it. Most situations I'm in are in conflict / disaster zones hence my obsession with taking photos off the hoof!

Constructive answers from now please....
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if this is a wind up or not, so I'll be brief and avoid 'biting' - SLRs aren't designed for snapshots, so save your money.
 
urbanx said:
K, maybe this is it? Daylight, (not that 'bright' I suppose?) f8 & ISO 200?




Cheers. So what setting would you use on an off the cuff snap?
Click to expand...

Get a lens that actually works first and read the camera manual for a start.

I could use your logic to call all Mercedes rubbish cars that brake down every 2000 miles and I could call all estate agents selfish criminals. Would that be true though?
 
urbanx said:
Hey,
I take a lot of photo's with a lot of cameras. I'm no photographer, I don't purport to be. Sometime I have a long time to take photos and I can shoot 100 variations on manual, and spend hours post processing them. My usual set up is a Canon 500D, with a Sigma 10-20mm.

But sometimes I take 'snaps'. I know an SLR is different from a compact, and need more input to get a decent image.
BUT.... (Note the bigger BUT)

This was a snap, hand held, in daylight, Av priority. F8 1/30 10mm




It's wildy overexposed. This is straight out of the camera, so I'm assuming the slightly darker area by he tree has thrown the whole image out. Fine. I didn't use a light meter or take multiple exposes on manual.

Here is 100% at the centre:




Is it just me, or is this a bit s**t for £1000 of gear?

To clarify, I'm not generally disappointed with my gear or ability, I love some of my images that I have more time to expose properly, I'm just bowled over by he lack of quality of an 'off the cuff' shot.

Thoughts / harsh criticism please...
Click to expand...
Yes it's rubbish sell the camera to me for a tenner and I will set it at 250th second f5.6 and iso 200 and then the photo will not have camera shake and noise and will be exposed correctly.It's called using a DSLR like it is supposed to be used instead of like a phone camera.:rolleyes:
 
Pablosammy said:
I'm not sure if this is a wind up or not, so I'll be brief and avoid 'biting' - SLRs aren't designed for snapshots, so save your money.
Click to expand...

Cheers. Nope not a wind up. OK, I'm not a war correspondent or anything, and I dont make a penny from my photos, hence my 's***' kit. BUT... I go to badly lit dodgy situations a lot which I would like to document.

I do not always have time to set up a tripod, and the lighting is always terrible. I DO use an iPhone a lot. I use a GoPro a lot, they fulfil their jobs perfectly.

I have chosen a SLR to give me greater control. I'm satisfied with these properties. The 10mm is wider than any compact or phone on the market - great. I love my nifty at 1.8, cant fault it. I'm just disappointed by the overall quality of the shots.

I'm not a pro, i'm not even an amateur. I'm just after advice on how I can make my shots better.
 
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The only thing your iphone is waaaay better at, is making phone calls (unless you installed iOS 8.0.1 of course, then your 500D will be just as good at that too :p ).

ISO 1250, at a slow shutter-speed, not clear where it's focussed.

For an off the cuff snap, I would use manual exposure with spot metering, because that's how my cameras are always set up and I'd be too lazy to change anything. For this specific shot, I would have been at a bit lower ISO and higher shutter speed. No real need to be at f/8.
 
Jayst84 said:
The only thing your iphone is waaaay better at, is making phone calls (unless you installed iOS 8.0.1 of course, then your 500D will be just as good at that too :p ).

ISO 1250, at a slow shutter-speed, not clear where it's focussed.

For an off the cuff snap, I would use manual exposure with spot metering, because that's how my cameras are always set up and I'd be too lazy to change anything. For this specific shot, I would have been at a bit lower ISO and higher shutter speed. No real need to be at f/8.
Click to expand...

First helpful response! Thank you.
 
That doesn't look even a tiny bit like f/8 at 10mm to me......too little of the image is in focus. I'm with Daugirdas, the aperture didn't stop down.

Bob
 
Stuart M said:
Seriously mate, I think you need to go on a basic camera controls course because, at the moment, you don't seem to know what you're doing with it
Click to expand...

Yep. Will do. I've never been on one, never claimed to know what I'm doing at all. Was kinda hoping for a few free tips off a forum first.
 
Canon Bob said:
That doesn't look even a tiny bit like f/8 at 10mm to me......too little of the image is in focus. I'm with Daugirdas, the aperture didn't stop down.

Bob
Click to expand...

Ahaa, Thank you for your help. That's exactly what I was thinking.
So any ideas on how to correct this?
 
urbanx said:
Ignoring exposure, is this the sharpest I should expect for a snap* from £1k of kit?

* by snap I mean 1/30sec - handheld...yes I went there.
Click to expand...

If you bought a £1000 guitar, would you expect to sound like Eric Clapton out of the box? No.

Sharpness isn't simply a function of the price of the camera and the lens. There are many factors that influence sharpness or the appearance of sharpness, such as light, handholding technique, windy conditions, etc. You as the photographer have the biggest impact though, because you can recognise and take control of the variables that impact sharpness, exposure, and other qualities of the image.

Just like a guitar, you can't just simply bang away and expect to produce sweet music. You need to learn how to play your proverbial instrument. When you can do that, problems with exposure, sharpness, and other difficulties with your kit tend to disappear.
 
urbanx said:
Ignoring exposure, is this the sharpest I should expect for a snap* from £1k of kit?

* by snap I mean 1/30sec - handheld...yes I went there


"Thanks for pointing out I'm carrying around £3000 worth of junk. Off to buy an iPhone"

Cheers for the sarcasm. Kinda what I'm routing at tho. My iphone is waaaay better than my SLR in daylight. I'm considering buying around £4,000 of 'junk' at the moment, but worried about the snap-ability factor of it. Most situations I'm in are in conflict / disaster zones hence my obsession with taking photos off the hoof!

Constructive answers from now please....
Click to expand...

The best equipment is what works best for you. If that's your iphone then you'd be as well to stick with it and sell the SLR gear. I'm not sure I can see any point in point dropping a lot more money on a camera system you have branded "terrible" (even if it was just for attention grabbing reasons).

Regarding the 'off the cuff' photography, the photo you've shown is very overexposed and is taken with a very wide angle lens. I wouldn't expect it to be of high quality under those conditions. How about taking some real 'snapshots' that bear some resemblance to what people actually take photo's of ?
urbanx said:
Brilliant. Glad we agree! Any advice?
Click to expand...

If you wanted meaningful and helpful responses then a heading along the lines of "New DSLR user looking for some tips on how I could have improved this....blah..blah.." would have been much better than the one you decided to go with. At least you're now admitting the issue isn't that "SLR's are terrible........".
Heading to the Talk Beginners sub forum and trying there may also be helpful. An alteration in attitude may help a whole lot more though.
 
skysh4rk said:
If you bought a £1000 guitar, would you expect to sound like Eric Clapton out of the box? No.

Sharpness isn't simply a function of the price of the camera and the lens. There are many factors that influence sharpness or the appearance of sharpness, such as light, handholding technique, windy conditions, etc. You as the photographer have the biggest impact though, because you can recognise and take control of the variables that impact sharpness, exposure, and other qualities of the image.

Just like a guitar, you can't just simply bang away and expect to produce sweet music. You need to learn how to play your proverbial instrument. When you can do that, problems with exposure, sharpness, and other difficulties with your kit tend to disappear.
Click to expand...


Probably the most sensible answer so far. I do understand the situation. I'm lucky enough to scoff at people at parties that grab my SLR and wonder why their 2" sefie is blurred. I get it.

I know my hatchback serves a different function to an F1 car - but I also know that due to the speedhumps I could beat Lewis to the shops.

So to reword my question (based on this terrible photo of my boring extension which I'm now regretting) from "why is my kit not right?" to "What is the best camera set up / settings in the world to take snap shots off the hip?
 
urbanx said:
Probably the most sensible answer so far. I do understand the situation. I'm lucky enough to scoff at people at parties that grab my SLR and wonder why their 2" sefie is blurred. I get it.

I know my hatchback serves a different function to an F1 car - but I also know that due to the speedhumps I could beat Lewis to the shops.

So to reword my question (based on this terrible photo of my boring extension which I'm now regretting) from "why is my kit not right?" to "What is the best camera set up / settings in the world to take snap shots off the hip?
Click to expand...

Stick it in 'P'. Forget aperture priority. Stick it in auto ISO, autofocus, auto everything... and when the little shaking hand picture comes up, put the flash up.
 
urbanx said:
So to reword my question (based on this terrible photo of my boring extension which I'm now regretting) from "why is my kit not right?" to "What is the best camera set up / settings in the world to take snap shots off the hip?
Click to expand...

There are no universal truths about equipment or settings that are going to enable you to instantly take great snap shots. You wouldn't expect a setting on any guitar or amp to instantly make you sound great; you would actually need to know how to play that guitar.

Consequently, I think that the more appropriate question for you would be: What do I need to learn in order to take better snapshots with my camera?

It's simply not about the equipment.
 
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stu.artd said:
Regarding the 'off the cuff' photography, the photo you've shown is very overexposed and is taken with a very wide angle lens. I wouldn't expect it to be of high quality under those conditions. How about taking some real 'snapshots' that bear some resemblance to what people actually take photo's of ?
Click to expand...

Some ace advice. I am grateful.

OK here's a typical snap shot I take: It's of two people from a volatile country which have just taken control of a passenger jet.


I would LOVE to have set up a Canon Mk.4 with L lenses, and multiple flashes, on a tripod, taking multiple exposures and either choosing the best for PP, or selecting multiple exposures to blend. But the situation didn't allow that, I needed the shot to be online while I was on the plane, and alive.

With an SLR in my pocket (next to my iPhone) I chose SLR. I'll never know if that was the right or wrong choice. The shot was slower (lent on a seat) and a lower ISO so I prefer the quality, but I'm asking for serious advise as to what others would do in this kind of situation.
 
holty said:
get some tuition or buy a compact point and shoot
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This could be the best advice. I'm not opposed to a point and shoot. I just want the best images from the crap situations I'm put in!
 
Pablosammy said:
Stick it in 'P'. Forget aperture priority. Stick it in auto ISO, autofocus, auto everything... and when the little shaking hand picture comes up, put the flash up.
Click to expand...

Whilst I detect derision and sarcasm in your post, I think this may actually be the best setting for me? Except flash, I CANNOT use flash in the situations I'm in!
 
as i said get some tuition read the camera manual and then put it into practice or use your mobile phone simples !!
 
urbanx said:
The shot was slower (lent on a seat) and a lower ISO so I prefer the quality, but I'm asking for serious advise as to what others would do in this kind of situation.
Click to expand...

Go and read up on basic exposure principles. Get that in your head so you know it without thinking about it, it will make you life a lot easier (photographically speaking).

This one was shot a 0.3 seconds, which is a very very slow shutter for handholding and shooting people (who will move). Push the ISO up way past 200 to get your shutter speed up. Then check your focusing carefully as well, you appear to have caught some of the furniture in the foreground, rather than the chap's face. Are you using a single auto focus point, or do you have them all activated?
 
urbanx said:
Whilst I detect derision and sarcasm in your post, I think this may actually be the best setting for me? Except flash, I CANNOT use flash in the situations I'm in!
Click to expand...

You'll need to up the ISO a little instead then ;)
There's nothing wrong with using your DSLR like this, you have the benefits of fast focussing, changeable lenses etc.. and the option of changing whatever settings you like once you get more practice and are comfortable with it.
 
stu.artd said:
You'll need to up the ISO a little instead then ;)
There's nothing wrong with using your DSLR like this, you have the benefits of fast focussing, changeable lenses etc.. and the option of changing whatever settings you like once you get more practice and are comfortable with it.
Click to expand...

holty said:
as i said get some tuition read the camera manual and then put it into practice or use your mobile phone simples !!
Click to expand...

Thank you both for your constructive answers.

I do actually have a beautiful compact camera (which has a lush f1.8 throughout its range) but I normally pocket it as I'm obsessed with ultra wide angle! I cant find a single compact that goes to 10mm cropped (or 16mm full sensor) equivalent, please feel free to recommend me one if I'm wrong. It's because of this focal length that I dont feel that a iPhone or compact can tell the whole story the way a 10mm wangle can, hence my choice of camera.
 
green square = snap mode. Very good it is too! However, get the lens checked out first.
 
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