Couple of questions from a new guy...

[winterminute]

1) I'm just getting serious about photography and I've got some questions. How do people take photos with long shutter speeds if the shot is well lit. i.e. The longer the shutter is open the more light comes in. My ISO is already at 80 and my aperture is closed down as much as possible (7, I think) but if I want to do a 1-5 second capture (i.e. moving water) then the picture is way over exposed.

Is this a limitation with my camera which is an Canon A710?

2) Other than polarizer. Is there any reason to use a filter? It seems with the digital workflow these days, you can achieve almost any effect in post-production. I just got the adapter for my camera so I can use my wife's polarizer (she used to be a big 35mm hobbyist), but I wonder if I should consider any other filters.

[Saralonde]

1. Well-lit is a problem. Just the fact that you're opening your shutter that long allows in a great deal of light. Polarizing or neutral density filters help some. Trying to shoot at a less bright time (cloudy or at a darker time of day) will also help. If your camera can get a smaller aperture that would help, but if your camera is limited to 7, you may not be able to control that. Your camera may be a bit limited in that regard.

2. This is a frequent question. Here's a thread on filters.

[Nicole]

I say go for it and consider all the filters. The thing is, it doesn't hurt to try the different filters because you're not getting film developed. They can be used in the same way they would be with film. Even the colour filters that would normally be used with black and white, you can use them to influence how your picture will look after the process of desaturating them. Now, just so you know, this is coming from my perspective because a lot of people I know would rather use post-processing to get the filter effects. Personally, I'd rather play with filters on my camera and see what I can get just from that. There's nothing wrong with post-processing, I just like to start out as close as possible to what I want the finished product to be (said the weirdo who likes the convenience of no film, but the old style of using filters etc ).

Now, one filter that you might find useful for your long exposure (especially if the smallest your aperture can go is f/7) would be a neutral density filter. That will help decrease the amount of light that gets in, and will let you slow your shutter speed down.

And welcome new guy

[Nicole]

snap, beat me to it Saralonde

[Jargon]

Originally Posted by winterminute

1) I'm just getting serious about photography and I've got some questions. How do people take photos with long shutter speeds if the shot is well lit. i.e. The longer the shutter is open the more light comes in. My ISO is already at 80 and my aperture is closed down as much as possible (7, I think) but if I want to do a 1-5 second capture (i.e. moving water) then the picture is way over exposed.

Is this a limitation with my camera which is an Canon A710?

You need to use a neutral density (ND) filter to limit the amount of light coming through the lens.

Originally Posted by winterminute

2) Other than polarizer. Is there any reason to use a filter? It seems with the digital workflow these days, you can achieve almost any effect in post-production. I just got the adapter for my camera so I can use my wife's polarizer (she used to be a big 35mm hobbyist), but I wonder if I should consider any other filters.

You can keep a UV(0) (ultraviolet, transparent) filter always on the lens as additional protection from bumps, dirt and moisture. You can use an ND filter as I have described above. You can use an IR (infrared) filter for some unusual effects.


Why is this thread in the Landscape Photography section?

[wulf]

Originally Posted by Jargon

Why is this thread in the Landscape Photography section?

I'm guessing that the water is part of a landscape shot, so I think it is reasonable for it to remain here.

Wulf

[winterminute]

Jargon >> Sorry about that. With the question about photographing water it seemed to fit here better than the other topics.

Thanks to the other replies. I didn't know about the ND filters, but now that I have something to search on, that's exactly what I need. From Wikipedia:

For example, on a very bright day, one might wish to photograph a waterfall at a slow shutter speed to create a deliberate motion blur effect. In order to do this, one would need a shutter speed on the order of tenths of a second. There might be so much light that even at minimum film speed and a minimum aperture such as f/32, the corresponding shutter speed would still be too fast. In this situation, by applying an appropriate neutral density filter one or more stops can be taken out of the exposure, allowing a slow shutter speed and more pleasing effect.

I'm a bit confused about the aperature specs on my camera. I was pretty sure it went to f7 (as posted above) but in doing more research I came across what appeared to be 3 different aperature ranges listed for my camera.

From DPREVIEW:
Lens
• 6x optical zoom
• 35 - 210mm equiv.
• F2.8 - F4.8

Apertures
• F2.8 - 8 (Wide)
• F4.8 - 8 (Tele)

I understand what WIDE/TELE mean but I don't understand how they impact how much light can be blocked out. I also don't understand what the F-STOP range listed in the LENS section

[wulf]

It is quite typical that a zoom lens will be able to let in more light at the wide angle end (35mm in your case) as opposed to the telephoto end (210mm). You can go down to f/8 in either case.

The first rating gives the fastest (most open - smallest number) aperture for the extremes of focal length and the aperture ratings show how that changes across the range.

Does that explain it?

Wulf

[winterminute]

Hi Wulf, kind of

I would expect the min/max in the lens section would match either the MAX or MIN of the WIDE or the TELE. How can the TELE/WIDE have a max aperature of f/8 but the lens only shows f/4.8 when it is all the same single lens/camera unit.

[wulf]

The Canon A710 sits somewhere between my areas of experience. It is much more powerful and flexible than the Fujifilm Finepix that started me on digital photography (which gave me no direct feedback or control over aperture and shutter speed) but is still quite a different ballgame from the Nikon D40 (and DSLR terminology) that I have now become used to.

The kit lens on my D40 goes from 18-55mm, which I think is equivalent to about 25-80mm on a full-frame SLR, and the widest aperture varies from f/3.5 at 18mm to f/5.6 at 55mm. At the other end, it varies from f/22 to f/38.

As you zoom further away, it limits the amount of light that can get through the lens; each f/stop you move from the small number to the large number halves the amount of light getting through and you have to either double the shutter speed or ISO rating in order to get the same resulting exposure.

What I don't know - and perhaps another A710 owner can help out - is how all the numbers fit together on your camera.

Wulf