New D5100 help with iso speed

[sam49]

Hi guys can I please ask for a little help.
After using a Canon A1 SLR, for a number of years with 135 negative films, but that was a long time ago. Then recently I’ve only used a point and shoot digital camera for the last few years.
Now I have bought a Nikon D5100 and I am having a little trouble with it so I would like to ask a few questions and I hope you guys can help me.
The first question is I am almost sure when I turned the camera on the flash came up automatically but now it does not do then I have to open it manually.
The other question is more important if I try and shoot indoors under tungsten lighting in auto mode I get I get an orange tinge on the photos.
I understand this is the white balance setting and it is not adjustable in the Auto setting so I have tried the (Program) setting then I can set the white balance to tungsten, but then the ISO is auto set to 100, then becauseo f the low light the shutter speed is so slow I have to alter the ISO setting.
So my question is how high I can set the ISO before I get noise in the photos as I think this is the only way I can get a faster shutter speed.
Can someone point me in the right direction please

 

[Sandpatch]

I'm sure that others can offer better advice, but you set can your D5100 for Auto ISO. With that set, you'll be able to concentrate on your White Balance, Shutter Speed and Aperature. I take it that you are shooting indoor sports maybe? That's a challenging environment for sure -- everything is working against a photographer it seems. A fast lens would be a friend here too.

 

[AC016]

Put your camera into manual (M). That way, you can control everything. Take the camera off of Auto ISO. The flash will automatically pop-up if the camera thinks the scene needs more light. This - from my experience - will only happen in AutoMode or those scene modes. So, try M mode. That way you have free reign over all the settings. Any other mode, the camera is controlling atleast 2 variables.

 

[sam49]

Hi guys thanks for the tips I will give them try. Just how can I push the ISO before I degrade the photo please

 

[RockyNH_RIP]

Ok, I am fairly new but can help some...

Easy first - The flash.. it does not pop up when you turn it on. If you are in Full Auto, if there is not enough light, it will pop up when you depress the shutter... It also sets Auto ISO

In program.. you can adjust the ISO as you can in in A and S. You can go in through the menu and select Shooting Mode then ISO sensitivity or you can go in through the I(Info) button. I suggest that and you can adjust at will...


How high can you go?? That depends on you, your photo itself, if you are cropping and your "tolerance for some noise. If you are not cropping at all, I have gone to 3200 on multiple occasions .. if you are cropping (my opinion only) I try not to go over 1250 if I can help it..

I personally shoot in A normally gives a lot more control. I will work my aperture large (depending on Depth of field). I can set the ISO for the conditions , say 1600 and then check my shutter... if it is too low, I have the open to increase ISO or open up shutter... If Speed if up over 150 or so, then I can reverse and decrease ISO or close down shutter some or both. I can handhold ok at 1/30 but do much better if 1/60 or above.

You have to determine what speed you can hold it at .. and the focal length of the lens will affect that. (55mm is easier to holde steady than 200mm)

I hope that can get you started... In addition to reading your manual on these settings, Googel Exposure Triangle which will help explain the relations of all settings...

Good luck and welcome! (I have the same camera)

Pat in NH

 

[sam49]

Hi RockNY
Thanks for the advice I have tried shooting in the A mode with the ISO set at 1250 and with the lens I have a Nikon 18 to 105 zoom withthe lens set at 105 the largest aperture I can get is f5.6 and the fastest shutterspeed I can get is 1/60 which is a bit slow for me. So do I need a faster lens for indoor work? Also if I use this setting with normal house lighting should I set the white balance to flash or Incandescent? I am wanting to take portraits indoor so should I use better lighting or a faster lens

 

[stmv]

Also, are you shooting in RAW? that way you can always easily adjust your temperature in Post Processing. I have not found the Auto to be bad for indoors..

Outside, I shoot with it in Sunlight state, just because I find that the camera sometimes tries to make everything into that white light state, and sometimes,, I want that yellow light look that the camera can pick up but not our eyes (our eyes or I should say brains, is an AMAZING auto whitebalance computer, and converts as close as possible light to white light even when it is not really).

Since you are a film guy, I recommend you use manual as was suggested, and then have total control of when the flash is needed.

IF you use the scene modes, you can check the manual for which ones put of the flash, and which ones don't.

Anyway, enjoy your 5100.

 

[sam49]

Hi stmv thanks for the tip I thought the upgrade from film to digital would be easy, but its been a few years since I was into 35 mm film but the transition to digital is not easy as I thought. thank you again. I am shooting in jpeg with fine setting and large file size

 

[RockyNH_RIP]

Hi RockNY
Thanks for the advice I have tried shooting in the A mode with the ISO set at 1250 and with the lens I have a Nikon 18 to 105 zoom withthe lens set at 105 the largest aperture I can get is f5.6 and the fastest shutterspeed I can get is 1/60 which is a bit slow for me. So do I need a faster lens for indoor work? Also if I use this setting with normal house lighting should I set the white balance to flash or Incandescent? I am wanting to take portraits indoor so should I use better lighting or a faster lens

You may want to go ahead and post a picture or 2 along with your settings, some of the guys/girls are sharp enough to often tips from that.

If 1/60 is too slow, you will have issues with f/5.6... depending on the light. If you can get more light on the subject it will obviously help. A faster lens will help also but that is an added expense. I have a 50mm f/1.8 lens and I move in closer.. great for portraits. If you are shooting portraits, look to brighten the room, install brighter bulbs in whatever is providing the light.


Another option is take the shots in Daylight, the room will be brighter at night.. look also to some outdoor portraits, great natural lighting there... then there is always a flash... you can bounce the light off the ceiling or walls for some good indoor lighting..

Pat in NH

 

[sam49]

Hi rockyNH. thanks for the advice above but I must say I am disappointed with the performance of my D510. My main interest is indoor portrait shots and with the ISO set at 1200 I have to use the maximum aperture and then the fastest speed I can use is 1/60. My other main interest is motor racing so today I went out and took some daylight shots and with the ISO still set at 1200 and with my lens set at maximum aperture that's 5.6 at 105 mm zoom the fastest speed I could use was 250, and that's no way near fast enough to catch a F1 car. so do I increase the ISO.I am looking to buy a Nikon Sb-700 can you recommend this flash gun. I am looking at the Nikon SB-400 or the Nikon SB700 flash can anyone recommend them please.

 

[RockyNH_RIP]

Sam, remember that I am also new... I do not think the issue is really with your 5100... Any other Nikon will provide similar results using the same glass.. as I see it, you have choices of

Improve (increase the light)

Increase the ISO

Aquire a faster lens... (f5 apparently is not gonna cut it for you)

I would do some tests with faster ISO and see how you fair, especially outdoors. That is by far the cheapest solution. See what you end up with. I have run to 3200 with satisfactory results if I am not having to do a heavy crop.

The faster lens is gonna cost you... for indoor portraits, you can look at the 50 or 35mm f/1.8 and they are not that expensive but depending on the focal length you need for outdoors it could get costly... I have both the 50 and 35 and they perform well in doors..

Especially if you are doing portrait work, I would go with the 700. That is what I have and I and others here will recommend it. For your use, you have full rotation and angle adjustment when shooting vertical or horizontal, you can bounce it off ceilings walls etc.

Maybe a couple more experienced will jump in here too... If you have a couple portraits you have taken, upload and we can look and see what might help...

Pat in NH

 

[KWJams]

Granted the manual is dry reading but it is a place to start your journey into DSLR's'

It may be considered cheating, but take a picture in the scene modes for indoor and then look at the picture info to get an idea what the camera determined under the conditions the shot was taken under to be the best settings. Those settings will get you into the ballpark of what ISO and light conditions are needed.

 

[sam49]

Regards to RockyNH and KWJams great advice from both of you. I like the idea of shooting in the scene mode and then see what the camera has set. thank you both

 

[Rexer John]

Hi RockNY
Thanks for the advice I have tried shooting in the A mode with the ISO set at 1250 and with the lens I have a Nikon 18 to 105 zoom withthe lens set at 105 the largest aperture I can get is f5.6 and the fastest shutterspeed I can get is 1/60 which is a bit slow for me. So do I need a faster lens for indoor work? Also if I use this setting with normal house lighting should I set the white balance to flash or Incandescent? I am wanting to take portraits indoor so should I use better lighting or a faster lens

Sam, the scenario you describe is expecting a lot from very little light.
The far end of a zoom lens and normal indoor lighting is allowing very little light to the sensor, hence the need for high ISO.

With your film camera, would you expect better pics than you're getting with the DSLR in the same lighting conditions and with the same aperture?

 

[Sandpatch]

... My other main interest is motor racing so today I went out and took some daylight shots and with the ISO still set at 1200 and with my lens set at maximum aperture that's 5.6 at 105 mm zoom the fastest speed I could use was 250 ...

I wish I could be there to help. Something just isn't adding up in my experience. I was out yesterday shooting trains on a sunny day and was shooting with my D5100 with Nikkor 55-200mm at 160mm using Shutter Priority at 1/800 Sec. at f/8 at ISO 160. I later swapped to my 18-55 Nikkor kit lens and again in Shutter Priority, shot at 1/640 at f/6.3 at ISO 160. My ISO is set on Auto. The photos are well lit, razor sharp and without noise. I could have easily reached for higher shutter speeds if I had wanted.

I think there's a Reset function on the menu that will regain factory settings. Maybe try this and see what effect it has. I feel badly for you, as you have a wonderful camera that should be performing beautifully. :-(

 

[sam49]

Hi Rexer John. yes maybe I am asking a lot but as I said I used to use a Canon A1 in the 35 mm days and I was mostly using file with a 400ASA rating and using lens of up to 200 mm and outside I could get speeds if I remember right of at least 1/500 and up to 1/1000 I might be wrong with those speed but I could use a faster speed with roughly the same aperture.

Hi Sandpatch I have done the reset function and it make no difference. I only bought this camera in the middle of December 2010 from Jessops and they have now gone out of business so I have no where to go to get the camera checked out. I have 2 years warrantee from Nikon but that would mean sending the camera away.

To get any kind of shutter speed and a small aperture to get a big depth of field it I seem to have to set the ISO radically high.

But maybe is just me with the long layoff in photograph and the transition from 35 film to Digital, the last few years I have just had a canon point and shoot and I could use that indoors with good results and where my D5100 will try to use a shutter speed of over a full second at maximum aperture.

 

[sam49]

Hi guys I have had a little time to test my D5100 outside today and the light was cloudy and overcast and I shot some test photos just down the street both on Auto and with Auto White balance, and some with the White balance set to cloudy. and I have not had time to have a look on my computer yet but looking on the camera the photos seems ok. On the Auto shots the ISO had set itself to 1600 and the shutter speed was 1/640 and f6.3 and with shutter priority I got 1/500 and f6.3 and 1/1000 and f3.5. After looking at the histogram said they were exposed just right.

It seems to me I have a lot to learn about this camera in my 35 mm film days if I remember right the lens were faster and im sure my 55mm basic lens had the largest aperture of 1.8 or close to that I think. I might be wrong but are todays lenses not as fast.

In my 35mm days you had to load a film with the ASA speed you wanted and that was it until you changed the film, you had to control the exposure with the aperture and shutter speed,

So I presume that's the modern ISO is equivalent to the old ASA film speed im just not used to have this setting


regards to you all for all the advice you have given me.

 

[SkvLTD]

I'm JUST learning all these ropes about fancy picture taking, but from my own experience thus far with iso at decent shutter speeds to capture most moving object fairly well- sunny daylight: 100-200; cloudy daylight: 400-800; well-lit indoors: 800-1600; medium lit indoors: 1600-3200; and poorly lid indoors: 6400. I feel it all depends whether you're trying to shoot those "money" shots or just for fun, but here are some samples from my adventures thus far-

So outdoor at 1-200

Outdoors at about 400 (inside a moving car)

Indoors at I think ~1200

And the poorly lit 3200

And I think these were the 6400s

If anything though, look at the shots in the rough gradient that I described since I don't fully remember the exacts.