Camera Labs

One aspect I find difficult to grasp is getting the apature and shutter speeds right to get the shot Im after.

I know that lower F number = blury background, and the more zoomed in you are the better the affect, but I have trouble selecting the number for an outcome.

I also know that quick shutter speeds capture still movment and long shutter speeds produce blurr and movement.


-What is a good F number for a nice crips all in focus photo that will not take to long to process and make light to dark?

-What is a good shutter speed to capture still movement but not reduce to much light?
-What is a good shutter long shutter speed to produce movement, but not to long a shutter speed that holding the camera will mess up?


Im guessing most of these numbers are just trial and error. how do you know which number to choose? Do you take photo's, have a look at it then re position or do you normally just get it right straight off?

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Tobywuk personal website || My Flickr
Gear: Sony a700! || CZ 16-80mm! || Sony 75-300 || bag: Crumpler PB xxxl / Lowepro slingshot 200

Hi Toby,

Head on over to DSLR Tips Landscapes Workshop. Check out the site for more workshops.

For a tutorial on Depth of Field try Understanding Depth of Field in Photography over at CambridgeInColour. If you don't have, or find it difficult to use, a DoF preview button then you might also find it useful to print out a DoF table such as the ones from this calculator for each lens and, of course, your camera type. Don't forget that there's a penalty to pay if you select too large an f-number. See Diffraction Limited Photography: Pixel Size, Aperture and Airy Disks for more on this subject.

Once you have your DoF sorted then you will need to check the shutter speed selected by the camera. Adjust the Ev compensation if needed and bump up the ISO if necessary to get a faster shutter speed to freeze movement.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.