settings/mode to get clear image of people walking at a distance

movingclarity

New member
I am brand new to DSLR D5100 and just know 2 settings that I learnt this week :)


shutter 1/250, f 3.5, iso 100 - cover a street - nice view
shutter 1/500, f 3.5, iso 500 - when people moving

can someone suggest more settings to try. I like to get clear image of these

people walking at a distance
Buildings at a distance

when I zoom in, like to see it clear. my images are 4.8 mb, so this site didnt let me upload
 

N_Addy

Senior Member
Congrats on getting off of 'auto' mode. That's the first step to learning to create images rather than take snapshots.

To answer your question, it really doesn't work that way. There are very few "default" setting for various situations.

How you expose any shot depends on a number of variables, the most important of which is your available light. For example, the settings to shoot someone walking down the street in direct sunlight may be different than the same situation on a cloudy day.

Experience is your best teacher. Shoot a lot and study what works and what doesn't. Learn how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together to make a good image.

I'd highly recommend you read this book. It does a great job explaining exposure in easy to understand terms.

Understanding Exposure - by Bryan Peterson
 

PhotoAV8R

Senior Member
mc, you've already gotten some great guidance, but Google "exposure triangle" for some "free" instruction.

Also, here is a website that can resize your photos without a stand-alone application to download.
 

movingclarity11

New member
mc, you've already gotten some great guidance, but Google "exposure triangle" for some "free" instruction.
Also, here is a website that can resize your photos without a stand-alone application to download.

Thks to Addy all for advice and detail. I see I have a long way to go in learning and I did order a Book and DVD, but am going thru detail of the book you mentioned about Understanding Exposure


and thks to Fotojack and photoAVR - when it asks New Maximum Image dimension inResize Images online, what should I give?
 

movingclarity11

New member
and is this site Nikonites crazy site?? when I tried to post reply a min ago, it forced me to register a user name (says connect to FaceBook) when I already have a login in Nikonites
 

D200freak

Senior Member
If you want everything in the picture to be in focus, you want a tiny aperture, which has a large f-stop number.

If you want only the subject to be in focus and everything else somewhat out of focus, you want a large aperture, which has a small f-stop number.

Once you've settled on your aperture setting, adjust shutter speed to set the exposure. But the slower the shutter speed, the more motion blur you will get as your subject moves.

So you have to make tradeoffs. If you don't want your subject to be blurry due to motion, you need a fast shutter speed and the consequence of a fast shutter speed is that less light reaches the sensor, so you need to open up the aperture.

You have to make a choice between depth of field by setting the f-stop (what ranges are in focus in the image) and image blur due to motion by setting shutter speed. You have a large range of possible choices. As long as you get enough light for a good exposure.

You will want to learn about your camera's metering mode. Once you learn to use the meter, you will always be able to choose your f-stop or your shutter speed and use the meter to make the other adjustment to get a good exposure.

Google "Nikon D5100 metering mode" and you'll find some good information that will help you quickly.

Once you've learned how to use the meter, set up your camera on a tripod (assuming you have one) and take the same photo of the same thing, at every possible aperture setting, and adjusting shutter speed from the meter reading. Then review the pictures and see how the different aperture settings change the quality of the focus.
 
If you want everything in the picture to be in focus, you want a tiny aperture, which has a large f-stop number.

If you want only the subject to be in focus and everything else somewhat out of focus, you want a large aperture, which has a small f-stop number.

Once you've settled on your aperture setting, adjust shutter speed to set the exposure. But the slower the shutter speed, the more motion blur you will get as your subject moves.

So you have to make tradeoffs. If you don't want your subject to be blurry due to motion, you need a fast shutter speed and the consequence of a fast shutter speed is that less light reaches the sensor, so you need to open up the aperture.

You have to make a choice between depth of field by setting the f-stop (what ranges are in focus in the image) and image blur due to motion by setting shutter speed. You have a large range of possible choices. As long as you get enough light for a good exposure.

You will want to learn about your camera's metering mode. Once you learn to use the meter, you will always be able to choose your f-stop or your shutter speed and use the meter to make the other adjustment to get a good exposure.

Google "Nikon D5100 metering mode" and you'll find some good information that will help you quickly.

Once you've learned how to use the meter, set up your camera on a tripod (assuming you have one) and take the same photo of the same thing, at every possible aperture setting, and adjusting shutter speed from the meter reading. Then review the pictures and see how the different aperture settings change the quality of the focus.

This post is from 2012 so I doubt he will be seeing the response.
 
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