artbel 0 #1 January 24, 2009 At this moment I use the Sports mode on my Canon 450D with standard lens but I'm waiting for a Canon 15mm for it. My question is... what setting DO YOU use (and why) for what type off weather/daytime/season? Also does these settings change when you use a circular polarisation filter? Thx MutleyYou don't need a parachute to jump but YOU DO if want to do it again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #2 January 24, 2009 I'd advise to quit using sports mode, start learning how to use shutter-priority With sport mode the camera makes all kinds of decisions that may work ok or not, if you learn how iso/f-stop/shutterspeed relate to one another you'll be able to figure out on your own which settings to use for any occasion, and what to change if something doesn't work out. BTW it's very hard to use a polarisation filter when skydiving: it only works for the particular angle you set it to so wouldn't advise jumping with one unless you have a very specific shot in mind and never mind the rest of the jump. Also it takes away a few stops of light, not always good with our local weather, and of course it cannot be used with the 15mm. Polarization can work out very nice when you have everything lined up but that usually mean ground shots at a specific angle to the sun or to the non-metallic reflective surface you wish to make non-reflective. Ie, very good for taking pictures of pyramids with pretty blue sky and for taking pics of koi fish in a pond ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #3 January 24, 2009 Quote My question is... what setting DO YOU use (and why) for what type off weather/daytime/season? This seems to be a common question. I happened to be present when a very well known skydiving photographer was asked this very question. He responded with "all of them". While it isn't the answer most want to hear, its the short simple truth. There are no magic settings or cheat sheets with camera /lens settings to go off of that are written in concrete. What works for one person might not work for another in their situation and those settings will change based on all the factors that need to be considered when shooting in a particular environment. When questioned further on this, the same photographer responded that based on the situation, he knows how to use the camera to its full extent in order to get the desired shot. Meaning that he is fully familiar with how his camera and lenses work with one another. Another gem of advise I've heard him use when people ask him what settings he used to capture a particular shot that makes sense when you think about it is: " If I invited you over to dinner and cooked you this wonderful meal and it was the best meal you had ever had, would you ask me what kind of pots and pans I used to make the meal?" While none of this may directly answer your question in the way you are seeking, I've found that it is very good advise. Play with your camera/lens settings, understand what all the bells and whistles on the camera do and take lots of pictures. After awhile it will require about as much thought as tying your shoes does to figure out your own settings. "It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beowulf 1 #4 January 25, 2009 I think this is the best response I have read so far for this often asked question. The end result is learn the camera. Take a class on photography and take lots of pictures. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #5 January 25, 2009 I typically use Tv at about 1/800th, ISO 400. For sunset loads or cloudy days when I'm not so sure about the light, I often use Av mode. When jumping with a flash, I use manual mode. If you've been using sports mode for a while, look at your exif data for good and bad pictures and see what settings the camera chose. Figure out what went right and what went wrong. Then you'll start to get a better idea of what settings you might want to change. The nice thing about sports mode is that it biases for a faster shutter speed, but doesn't lock you into any particular settings. It can adjust as the light changes. That can be a disadvantage too. But it works great most of the time. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velocityphoto 0 #6 January 25, 2009 It's digital ! You have plenty of time on the ground to experiment.Use full manual and play with it until your tired. I use all of my settings. With the exception of sports and the automatic modes. A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Laszloimage 0 #7 January 25, 2009 LouDiamond (his real name is Scott) gave you the best answer. ...it's just like when you drive a car. There's no "best gear", "what pedal?", or "what road signal?". Right? Just like Velocityphoto (Lonnie) adviced. It's digital, play on the ground a lot to find out what setting works in the given situation and light condition. Personally 90% at the time I use "M" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sinjin 0 #8 January 25, 2009 Dave, Can you elaborate as to why you shoot ISO 400. It would seem to be adding noise to your pictures that is not needed during all day light conditions other than noticeable sunset. I would caution against using this setting and recommend ISO 100 to the vast majority of skydiving applications. Use the lowest ISO setting possible for your conditions to eliminate noise and 100 is more than adequate for daylight skydiving. I agree with using TV most of the time unless you are requiring a specific DOF or effect.dont let life pass you by Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #9 January 25, 2009 Quote Can you elaborate as to why you shoot ISO 400. It would seem to be adding noise to your pictures that is not needed during all day light conditions other than noticeable sunset. I would caution against using this setting and recommend ISO 100 to the vast majority of skydiving applications. Use the lowest ISO setting possible for your conditions to eliminate noise and 100 is more than adequate for daylight skydiving. I agree with using TV most of the time unless you are requiring a specific DOF or effect. The original poster already has a few great answers... it's interesting, this same question crops up every few months and the answers are always the same... and always spot on!!! As for the Quoted question most of the reviews I've seen seem to suggest that noise doesn't become overtly pronounced until shooting at above ISO 400... and the differences between ISO 100 and ISO 200 are generally accepted to be negligible at most. ScottLivin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #10 January 25, 2009 Boosting the ISO lets you run at a higher shutter then the lower ISO. You can't run at 800 f11 and still have correctly exposed photos at 100 ISO unless you are in really bright sunlight but if you boost the ISO you can.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #11 January 25, 2009 ISO settings affect your f-stop too. If you shoot shutter-priority you generally want to end up with an f-stop that is not in the first and last few stops of your lens due to quality and then you get into how much DOF you want. So, you might pick a speed first, then work out what ISO gives you a good f-stop for the current lighting conditions. Generally ISO 100 or 200 works better for me than 400 except for grey weather, sunset shots and inside the plane and the like. If you shoot for stock, lower ISO is often better as some noise can creep in when viewed at 100%, although this depends on which camera, newer models are often better than a few years old models. Nitpicking here but I only use higher than ISO 200 when I need it, not as a standard setting. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMFin 0 #12 January 25, 2009 My opinion on the ISO value is that it largely depends on the equipment you use. On my 400D the image becomes way too noisy for my taste when using ISO 400. Personally I only use ISO 100-200. Allthough Im sure if I had a better camera I might think different. The thing is that normally you dont really NEED to use as fast shutter speeds as 1/800. IMO 1/400 does the job well enough and the added benefit of 1/800 is not worth compromising the image quality. Also not many lenses perform best at f/11 either. I see no reason to compromise the picture quality for shooting at f/11 either. For example canon 10-22 is sharpest at f/5.6 If there isnt enough light I use a flash. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #13 January 25, 2009 This discussion is precisely why this question crops up regularly... Effectively there is no magic setting that works for all shooting conditions and each lens. When it comes to settings on the camera there are basically three things that affect how the light will expose the "film/sensor" Shutter speed... generally in sports photography (or skydiving) a higher shutter speed is used... as a higher shutter speed will stop the motion more effectively there are however situations where a high shutter speed may not be desired... for example someone may want to pan with a cyclist passing by them... keeping the cyclist in stationary while blurring the background... or do the same on the ground with a swooper... most of the people I've seen in the past couple of years seem to be more inclined to use a fast shutter speed in skydiving. A slower shutter speed with let more light whereas a faster shutter speed with stop camera and people movement more effectively. Aperture Value: The shutter speed is generally a relatively easy concept to understand. This is a somewhat more complicated concept. The aperture value on a lens can theoretically vary from 1 to nearly infinite. I say theoretically because an aperture value of 1 is nearly impossible since lenses themselves actually can create "effective" apertures with out even having a leaf aperture. Most lenses however use a leaf aperture to control the aperture value. The aperture value does two things... it affects the amount of light that is hitting the sensor and it affects the depth of field (the distance in front of and in back of the focal point that is in focus) As others have mentioned the lenses themselves have "ideal" apertures where they perform at their "best" The reason for this is because at certain apertures (usually, very open or very closed) light passes through the edges of the lens elements and there will be more aberrations visible on the film plane... (I'm not going to explain all of them... if you want to know more about aberrations take a class or pick up an optics book... if you can get past the mathematics then you'll have a better understanding and will understand how some computer programs can correct the problems in some cases) The third thing that can be adjusted to control the amount of light is the ISO or speed of the film/sensor. The higher the ISO the more sensitive it is to light. The problem is that just like film the higher the ISO setting the more "noise" there is in image. (in film higher ISO films generally had larger grain sizes and were often not as sharp as slower speed films.) I'm not going to say what my usual shooting conditions are because I vary them to suit the conditions and what I'm trying to photograph. but like others have said... I use all the settings... because you need to when your shooting something like this http://www.scottgunstills.com/photos/460824917_EnkuE-M-1.jpg versus something like this: http://www.scottgunstills.com/photos/460745745_KYsJK-M.jpg and if you made it this far... I hope you liked the pictures... Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMFin 0 #14 January 25, 2009 QuoteThe aperture value on a lens can theoretically vary from 1 to nearly infinite. I say theoretically because an aperture value of 1 is nearly impossible... There are actually lenses with a larger aperture than f/1. At least f/0.7 lenses have been made. I believe the theoretical limit is f/0.5 Quote but like others have said... I use all the settings... I dont. There is lots of settings I never use. For example I dont use Larger ISO than 400 in skydiving enviroment. (but ofcourse it might change if I had a better camera) I like the light in the lens hood picture. Its a nice picture, but personally I might hide the visible border with the white background and the platform where the hood is at. The other one is a bit too dark for my taste.. BTW. What is that font you use for your signature ? Its really nice ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #15 January 25, 2009 Quote For example I dont use Larger ISO than 400 in skydiving enviroment. (but ofcourse it might change if I had a better camera) When the last load of our vintage weekend landed at sunset I was taking ground shots with a D2X and a flash and a 80-200 f/2.8 lens and I was having a lot of difficulty with the lack of light. A photographer we invited to take pics of the weekend was standing next to me, he asked why I didn't just bump up my ISO to 3200. Now of course HE had a D700. And got loads of perfectly exposed pictures. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #16 January 25, 2009 Quote There are actually lenses with a larger aperture than f/1. At least f/0.7 lenses have been made. I believe the theoretical limit is f/0.5 Its not the first time I've been wrong... and probably won't be the last... I haven't taken Optics in a few years and have made every effort to forget it because frankly it was painful... Quote BTW. What is that font you use for your signature ? Its really nice ! My signature is "Scott-Type" or more accurately "Scott-Write" Basically I have a Intuos 3 Tablet and I have handwritten my signature (both portions) onto a strip that I can overlay onto all of my smugmug pictures. I like it because it is custom therefore assuring that any copyright belongs to me...Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
guscabana 0 #17 January 25, 2009 yep, the D2x sensor is crap, and the D700 is the king of low light. An interesting site with sensors performances: http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/DxOMark-Sensor Of course the king of them all is the one impossible to afford: Nikon D3x... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bill_K 0 #18 January 25, 2009 Thank you for taking time to post this. I'm very new to all this DSLR stuff and am learning a LOT. I carry my camera with me everywhere these days, taking pictures of just about everything. I'm taking a class online and am reading lots and lots. The other thing that I'm doing is asking lots of questions. To that end, when you talk about panning with a passing subject, your saying that you slow the shutter speed down to blur the background? Would not a faster shutter speed and changing the F stop do the same. I.e. opening up the F stop from say f11 to f5.6, but leaving the shutter speed at the same point? I may have that backwards? I.e. leave the shutter speed the same, but change the f stop from 5.6 to 11? Again, threads like this are great for guys like me. The more I learn the more helpful they are. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #19 January 26, 2009 Huh? If you change f/stop you have to change shutterspeed to keep the same exposure (presuming the same ISO) so your way would end up overexposed / underexposed. Blurring the background is generally achieved by using a long lens in combination with a high f/stop (200mm lens @ f/2.8) when the camera is held still. However if you start panning, to follow a swooplanding, and want a blurred background, you'll generally use a bit longer shutter speed and keep the swooper in frame so he's sharp(ish) but you'll get motion blur in the background. 2 different techniques. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
strop45 0 #20 January 26, 2009 Quote To that end, when you talk about panning with a passing subject, your saying that you slow the shutter speed down to blur the background? Would not a faster shutter speed and changing the F stop do the same. I.e. opening up the F stop from say f11 to f5.6, but leaving the shutter speed at the same point? I may have that backwards? I.e. leave the shutter speed the same, but change the f stop from 5.6 to 11? When you use a slow shutter speed and pan the camera you blur the background in the direction of movement, i.e. it looks good like the subject is moving (which they are). When you use a lower f-stop (or a longer focal length lens/telephoto), you reduce the depth of focus and 'highlight' the subject, but you don't get any implied movement.The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bill_K 0 #21 January 26, 2009 Ah, now the light comes on. Thanks much. I have a dog that will make a great practice subject. When shooting motion things like swoopers or other items that you follow, do you do it freehand or using something like a monopod? My reason for asking is that when I try doing this by hand I end up bluring the subject that I'm shooting quite often. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mircan 0 #22 January 26, 2009 Any advice on handling camera settings when conditions change during jump? For example (shooting tandems)... 1. In the plane: low light scenario, lots of backlight from the windows. 2. After exit, bright and sunny. Lots of light. 3. After some freefall, when there are some cloud coverage/overcast skies. 4. Landing shots under such sky. I had a bunch of jumps like this last season and resolved it by using Sports mode and Photoshop. I could have take in the plane shots with one setting, than change it before exit, than again after landing, but freefall part gave me a headache...dudeist skydiver #42 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #23 January 26, 2009 I generally have 20 minutes to give my customers their DVD + stills so no time for photoshopping anything (and you shouldn't need to). I tend to use auto-iso for in the plane, with a limit of ISO 400, because I don't want to use the built-in flash and haven't got my new helmet with SB600 yet. Mostly the auto-iso works out fine, I sometimes would've set my camera differently for a specific shot had I had the oppertunity but the pics are all good enough anyway. I'd advise you to quit using sports mode like explained before and set your camera to shutter-priority, aside from inside the plane you shouldn't have much trouble with lighting, if you do you either need to go read a good photography book or go buy another camera and/or lens (you didn't say what you're shooting with). Frankly if you're having so much trouble, what are you doing shooting pics for paying customers? You should have all that figured out before Shooting tandems, you should consistenly get good pictures in just about any conditions. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mircan 0 #24 January 26, 2009 QuoteI'd advise you to quit using sports mode like explained before and set your camera to shutter-priority I do that. Except for the conditions which I wrote in earlier post. I have no problems on normal days. Quoteyou didn't say what you're shooting with Canon EOS 400D, stock lens, no flash. (sometimes I use built-in flash) QuoteFrankly if you're having so much trouble, what are you doing shooting pics for paying customers? You did not get my point at all. The problem is not in getting good photos consistently. The problem is when I am above clouds I get good exposure, but when at some point during skydive I get below clouds I get problems associated with overcast skies. For example, underexposed faces and overexposed sky. So, half of the pictures (above clouds) are fine and the other half (below - like opening shot) are not. And I can`t change camera settings during freefall.dudeist skydiver #42 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #25 January 26, 2009 So, if you're having problems you need to change settings, although the stock lens isn't that good in low light and a faster lens may help you the problem (or part of it) is likely in the metering setting you're using. Various cameras have various strong points and not-so-strong points, f.i. Nikons have always had good matrix metering, but the D80 sometimes overexposes clicky but is very good with overcast skies using matrix metering clicky. My D200 is better with exit shots like the first pic but I now know to intentionally underexpose the D80 a bit in conditions like that. In my experience with Canon 500N/50E/D30/300D (after that I switched to Nikon ) you do not want to use matrix metering but rather spot metering for skydiving as the matrix metering is prone to overexposed skies and under exposed tandem pairs. Post a few problem pics with EXIF intact then we can tell you more. Edited the first clicky. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
