Re: Concert Photography
Well...
I posted my personal ''how to'' on the Fred Miranda camera board a couple years ago - I think it is still pertinent - almost exclusively to DSLR or an adjustable camera.
Kind of long - so I'll just post a link here.
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/630425/0?keyword=Chimp,early,and#5581746
Ah - found the second half that I presented to a local camera club...
Still read the above URL post - Equipment is dated, but it was updated from my experience from the world of film...
Let's first look at the ''rule of thumb'' for hand-holdability. That ''rule'' states that one can expect to handhold a shot at a given shutter speed that is related to the focal length of a lens. The recommended minimum shutter speed would be 1/focal length of the lens - so if you were shooting a 100 mm lens, the rule says one can hand hold at a shutter speed of 1/100 of a second, but not slower. If you were shooting a 28mm lens, the rule says you could use a shutter speed as slow as 1/30 of a second.
Most concerts are shot with some type of telephoto - somewhere between 85mm and 200mm. So according to the rule, you shouldn't be shooting any slower than 1/85 second for the one, and 1/200 second for the other. A long way from 1/8 second!
The rule of thumb is based on what we deem acceptable sharpness in a normal print - Take the print larger, and you will need a faster shutter speed. All is based on the ''Circle of Confusion'' (one of my favorite terms in photography!). Bob Askins has many articles on the subject of sharpness, and shutter speed - look up the terms on www.bobaskins.com - great stuff there.
Even if you were to use a tripod, you may still experience blur at 1/8 second - but that could easily be your subject moving! One can handhold at lower speeds than the rule of thumb - it takes a very good technique for holding and bracing. The DSLR adds another thing one must overcome - the mirror slapping up and down - the type of motion that it is seen in pictures taken between 1/30 of a second down to about 1/2 second - (a tidbit to remember for macro photography, too) So not only are you shaking, your subject moving, and the camera is giving you the blues too.
So the last thing I'll address here, is there blur even with 1/500 second - first, are any shots sharp? How about during the day? Normal light? A lens is generally at its worst when wide open - it will have more visible defects, a more shallow depth-of-field that will put the autofocus to the test. Most lenses will be sharper when stopped down a stop or two - but that means the shutter needs to be open even longer to make up for the light lost due to the lens being stopped down. As the lens is stopped down, every lens will have greater depth-of-field, thus tolerating a less-than-perfect autofocus hit.
The key here is there are compromises - and low light, and active performers on stage, combined with telephoto needs make for a tough set. Find someone to help you with holding your camera - how to lock it in place. Practice, practice, practice. For some, available light is very tough - others find other types of photography tougher - i.e., wildlife, or birds on flight.
Just remember, your camera takes neither good or bad photographs - you do. Equipment can help some, but it is technique and practice that will be the difference between good and bad shots. An instrument does not make the musician - any more than a camera makes a photographer.
Final note - shooting RAW is just like shooting JPEG - the difference is in post processing - you may wish to lurk about that forum for a while - read a lot of the old posts there - a lot of your questions can be answered there - there is also a lot of PP using Photoshop and/or Lightroom on the web - time to sit down and read there, too.
good luck,
frank
frank
Well...
I posted my personal ''how to'' on the Fred Miranda camera board a couple years ago - I think it is still pertinent - almost exclusively to DSLR or an adjustable camera.
Kind of long - so I'll just post a link here.
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/630425/0?keyword=Chimp,early,and#5581746
Ah - found the second half that I presented to a local camera club...
Still read the above URL post - Equipment is dated, but it was updated from my experience from the world of film...
Let's first look at the ''rule of thumb'' for hand-holdability. That ''rule'' states that one can expect to handhold a shot at a given shutter speed that is related to the focal length of a lens. The recommended minimum shutter speed would be 1/focal length of the lens - so if you were shooting a 100 mm lens, the rule says one can hand hold at a shutter speed of 1/100 of a second, but not slower. If you were shooting a 28mm lens, the rule says you could use a shutter speed as slow as 1/30 of a second.
Most concerts are shot with some type of telephoto - somewhere between 85mm and 200mm. So according to the rule, you shouldn't be shooting any slower than 1/85 second for the one, and 1/200 second for the other. A long way from 1/8 second!
The rule of thumb is based on what we deem acceptable sharpness in a normal print - Take the print larger, and you will need a faster shutter speed. All is based on the ''Circle of Confusion'' (one of my favorite terms in photography!). Bob Askins has many articles on the subject of sharpness, and shutter speed - look up the terms on www.bobaskins.com - great stuff there.
Even if you were to use a tripod, you may still experience blur at 1/8 second - but that could easily be your subject moving! One can handhold at lower speeds than the rule of thumb - it takes a very good technique for holding and bracing. The DSLR adds another thing one must overcome - the mirror slapping up and down - the type of motion that it is seen in pictures taken between 1/30 of a second down to about 1/2 second - (a tidbit to remember for macro photography, too) So not only are you shaking, your subject moving, and the camera is giving you the blues too.
So the last thing I'll address here, is there blur even with 1/500 second - first, are any shots sharp? How about during the day? Normal light? A lens is generally at its worst when wide open - it will have more visible defects, a more shallow depth-of-field that will put the autofocus to the test. Most lenses will be sharper when stopped down a stop or two - but that means the shutter needs to be open even longer to make up for the light lost due to the lens being stopped down. As the lens is stopped down, every lens will have greater depth-of-field, thus tolerating a less-than-perfect autofocus hit.
The key here is there are compromises - and low light, and active performers on stage, combined with telephoto needs make for a tough set. Find someone to help you with holding your camera - how to lock it in place. Practice, practice, practice. For some, available light is very tough - others find other types of photography tougher - i.e., wildlife, or birds on flight.
Just remember, your camera takes neither good or bad photographs - you do. Equipment can help some, but it is technique and practice that will be the difference between good and bad shots. An instrument does not make the musician - any more than a camera makes a photographer.
Final note - shooting RAW is just like shooting JPEG - the difference is in post processing - you may wish to lurk about that forum for a while - read a lot of the old posts there - a lot of your questions can be answered there - there is also a lot of PP using Photoshop and/or Lightroom on the web - time to sit down and read there, too.
good luck,
frank
frank