Aspect ratio & D80

[dimitrz]

Hi Everyone

I am a bit confused about the aspect ratio and was wondering if anyone can give clarification on these


1) what is the best aspect ratio to shoot landscape photos using a Nikon D80

2) By Default do I have only 3:2 aspect ratio in D80 or do I have other options as well eg if I want to go to say 16:9 .


3) What is this big funda about aspect ratios anyways


Ps: Cant read the manual since I have not yet received the camera in hand

[oldwolf]

The D80 has a 3:2 aspect ratio in landscape mode. In portrait mode it's 2:3. It means that SOOC (straight out of camera) you can print 6"x4", 4"x6", 12"x8", 8"x12" without worrying about cutting off any part of the picture that you saw in the viewfinder.

You can't change this in the camera unless Nikon does something special I don't know about. They haven't tried to convert me to the dark side in a while and I don't recall them telling me anything about changing that the last time they tried to convert me to Nikon hehe.

Now if you want to print an 8"x10" picture then you need to crop that picture in some type of image editing program. This gives you control on what gets cut off in the picture. If you know you're going to print 8x10 or 5x7 then leave a little extra room in your picture so you can account for that crop later on.

[OsmosisStudios]

The only camera in the Nikon range that offers different ratios from the camera is the D3: it has a 5:4 ratio.

The basics to ratios is fairly simple: if an image is 2inches on one side and 3 on the other, its a 2:3 ratio. The same applies for multiples: 4:6, 8:12, 12:18, 20:30, 24:36, etc.

Medium format (126 film) cameras shoot a square (1:1) ratio frame, which means that it can then be cropped for either landscape or portrait, at any ratio, without tilting the camera.

[dcclark]

To answer the big question: what's the big deal with aspect ratios? For various historical reasons, there are a few standard aspect ratios. The one we hear the most about is 8x10 (which is the same ratio as 4x5), because it's a standard for portraits and certain film sizes. However, 2:3 is a lovely ratio and can be cropped easily to other standard sizes. Basically, don't worry about it. If you plan to print your photos using a printing service, you may want to think about sizes, but 2:3 is perfect for standard sizes 4x6, 6x9, and 8x12. If you really want a 5x7 or an 8x10, you'll have to crop some off of the long sides.

[dimitrz]

Thanks that rest my concerns....

I got a bit confused because (pardon my description)
I noticed someone taking widescreen type photos straight out of the camera during downloads ,

And I must say the landscape shot looked very professional in that widescreen view ( and no he was not using a wide lens just a normal Cannon's P&S)

[OsmosisStudios]

Canon's P&S cameras have a 16:9 mode, which is a very widescreen view. Instead of providing a large field of view, though, it just crops off the top and bottom.

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

The only camera in the Nikon range that offers different ratios from the camera is the D3: it has a 5:4 ratio.

The basics to ratios is fairly simple: if an image is 2inches on one side and 3 on the other, its a 2:3 ratio. The same applies for multiples: 4:6, 8:12, 12:18, 20:30, 24:36, etc.

Medium format (126 film) cameras shoot a square (1:1) ratio frame, which means that it can then be cropped for either landscape or portrait, at any ratio, without tilting the camera.

Medium format uses 120/220 film and sizes are 6mm x 6mm; 6mm x 4.5mm; 6mm x 7mm; 6mm x 9mm- and 16mm x 7mm. regards, Ken