Nikon 50mm f/1.8

[Nicci]

If you want something really really simple until you have time to read your book then try to activate ISO sensitivity auto control. I've got it set up for my Walkabout program on the D300:

Auto ISO is activated with:
- Minimum shutter speed 1/80s
- Maximum ISO 3200 ISO

Lets's say I've set the camera ISO to 400 ISO which is a setting that I'm used to outdoors. If I go indoors there is less light and the camera opens the lens wide and drops the shutter speed. As soon as the camera detects that the shutter speed will be less than 1/80s then it automatically increases the ISO value (there's a warning in the viewfinder). When the camera hits 3200 ISO it can't go any further and starts dropping the shutter speed but 1/80s f1.8 at 3200 ISO is pretty dark anyway.

Did you understand that or was it Greek again?

lol I am slowly getting it. At this time I am just so busy (right now I am doing a Rhetoric assignment, uploading my daily picture for my 365 project, researching paper number one, printing stuff for speech number one, doing a power point for speech number 2 and eating dinner..ooh and replying here and watching Millennium) that fun reading isn't in my schedule.

I have the auto control on and set to 3200 and 1/4. Basically I read it as use a higher ISO in darker situations which results in a faster shutter speed.

*come on summer* Manual, field guide, THEN the fun reading.

Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me in laymens terms

[armando_m]

OK here goes.

The picture of the man is done at 1/10s f1.8. There are two problems with this:

1. Camera shake. 1/10s is too slow to be able to hold the camera steady unless it's on a tripod . You should aim at using a shutter speed not slower than 1/the focal length of the lens i.e. 1/50s in this case. The camera is moving when you press the shutter release and giving an all-over blur
2. Limited depth of field at f1.8. When using such a wide aperture you need to be very VERY careful what point you focus on because pretty much everything that is closer and further away will be out-of-focus. You've focussed on the ear-ring/cheek (it's sharper than the rest even though blurred).

The picture of the group is done at 1/8s f2. Same problems as above plus an extra one

3. The subjects appear to be in movement. 1/8s is much too slow to freeze dancing. You need to use at least 1/125s

General conclusion: you should increase the ISO setting. In available light I start at 3200ISO on the D300. If I need to freeze action I go up to 6400ISO. It's better to have pictures that are sharp but that have lost a little detail due to the noise-reduction software than pictures that are blurred

Extra note: Your 18-105 kit lens has VR which does a lot to reduce camera shake (you should be able to use the 50mm focal length at 1/8s). Your 50mm f1.8 doesn't have VR which is why you are discovering this problem now.

This why I really enjoy this community , I can learn something every time
in the above quote I highlighted in bold the new "lesson"

awesome explanation

[Franglais]

...
I have the auto control on and set to 3200 and 1/4. Basically I read it as use a higher ISO in darker situations which results in a faster shutter speed.
...

Auto-ISO set up at 3200 ISO and 1/4 that's one quarter of a second? That's too slow to avoid blur due to camera shake with the 50mm f1.8. I have mine set up for 1/80 second that's one eightieth of a second. Lets go through that bit again.

What I want to achieve is the following:

- In good light (outdoors) I have the camera set up at 400 ISO and the camera is setting something nice and comfortable like 1/250 f8. No problem

- Come indoors and there is much less light. At 400 ISO the camera is setting 1/20s f1.8. This is too slow to avoid camera shake. I have set the Auto-ISO so that as soon as the shutter speed drops below the shutter speed that I chose to avoid camera shake + subject movement - it increases the ISO setting. The camera increases the ISO to 1600 ISO and my exposure becomes 1/80s f1.8. (1/80s is 4x shorter than 1/20s. To get a correct exposure the ISO has to be multiplied by 4x so 400x4 = 1600)

- Go into an even darker room and the auto-ISO gets to it's maximum value of 3200 ISO. The only thing the camera can do to give correct exposure is to disregard my instruction to not go below 1/80s and use a slow shutter speed that may give me blur due to camera shake and subject movement. OK that's life. I just have to hold the thing still and treat the shutter release like it was made of glass...

[Nicci]

What I mean is that it is the auto setting. I haven't really played with the camera outside of auto, maybe once or twice. However, I just put it in P and S modes, took some test shots and I see the difference. I am marking this thread for later review so you may see if pop up in June

[mudd]

Thanks Franglais!