# How could I improve this?



## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)




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## bigdw (Dec 23, 2007)

imho, you could crop the blank space off on the right hand side, you could have also used a smaller apateur to give a larger depth of field because his shoulders and ears are not in focus. just my opinion


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Getting the image in focus would be a start, DOF aside it is still out of focus even when resized so it must be really fuzzy viewed @ 100%


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

That's what I was thinking. I suppose I have a learning curve on here LOL


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## JasonRS (Aug 8, 2006)

At the aperture and shutter speed selected, you would have done better with a tripod.
I can see you were in shutter priority, for a static object, you'd be better in aperture priority, and trying to get a shutter speed arount 1/50 sec. (1 / focal length)

Although at ISO 800 were you shooting in the dark???


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## Mike V (Apr 7, 2007)

JasonRS said:


> At the aperture and shutter speed selected, you would have done better with a tripod.
> I can see you were in shutter priority, for a static object, you'd be better in aperture priority, and trying to get a shutter speed arount 1/50 sec. (1 / focal length)
> 
> Although at ISO 800 were you shooting in the dark???


Must have bee really dark to be shooting at 1.8 8oo iso and 1/4 of a sec.

Solution:

- tripod
- more ambient lighting
- flash
- higher ISO if you don't mind the noise. but most cameras wont go much higher without getting really excessive noise.


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

Mike V said:


> Must have bee really dark to be shooting at 1.8 8oo iso and 1/4 of a sec.
> 
> Solution:
> 
> ...


See, this is where I start to think WTF? On my Canon 20D, how exactly do I know that I am shooting at 1.8 and 1/4 of a sec? what does that actually equate to in the viewfinder? ISO I realise I can change it and it actually _says_ ISO, but looking in the viewfinder nothing say's shutter speed or focal length...

Cheers for the answers so far


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## JasonRS (Aug 8, 2006)

No idea on the Canon's, as I shoot Pentax, but I can see f-stop and shutter speed in the viewfinder.

Mine spends most of it's time on M, then Av othertimes, like yesterday when HMS Daring came in and the weather was thick fog...

I really hate to say this but......read the manual.... 

From the Exif data on the image you're using a 50mm lens, I'd guess it's a nifty fifty since you're at 1.8

Traditionally, to offset camera shake you'll want to get a shutterspeed of at least 1/focal length (in this case 50mm, let's not confuse matters with crop multipliers just yet) so a shutter speed of 1/50 sec.

On your camera are a bunch of dials and displays. The biggest dial will have...

M - Manual ( do it all yourself..)
Av - Aperture priority (you set the Aperture / F-stop and the camera sets the shutter speed based on the metering)
Sv - Shutter Priority (you set the shutter speed and the camera sets the aperture based on metering)

Now, how exactly you set the Aperture or Shutterspeed on your camera I don't know. I have a wheel for each on mine, so can do it at the eye, but I don't believe the 20D has this option ( I could be wrong though)

Understanding the interplay between ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture is technical part of getting hte image you want. There have been some good posts on this previously, and I'd recommend getting this book

Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera: Amazon.co.uk: Bryan Peterson: Books


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

JasonRS said:


> No idea on the Canon's, as I shoot Pentax, but I can see f-stop and shutter speed in the viewfinder.
> 
> Mine spends most of it's time on M, then Av othertimes, like yesterday when HMS Daring came in and the weather was thick fog...
> 
> ...


Thanks for taking the time to reply, book duly ordered... 

With regard to the manual, I have looked at that more than I look at the missus! lol It still seems like a black art. The funny thing is, when I used to use my Dad's old Pentax 35mm I never had these problems. I was used to composition, ISO, appertures etc. It seems like a break of almost 30 years and I have "Unlearned" everything I knew!

I suppose the answer is practice. It just gets so frustrating!


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

NickTB said:


> but looking in the viewfinder nothing say's shutter speed or focal length


you should be seeing shutter speed in the viewfinder and unless I've missed it for years the 20d won't give you focal length










you should get your data on the top lefthand panel too


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## NickTB (Feb 4, 2007)

Legend. That's the info I was looking for. Believe it or not, I can't find that diagram in the manual!


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