Photography

[Steve Taylor]

Originally posted by d_kendal
actually, not yet. I got permission from him to start trying it out, but I need to find a new battery for it (I hope the kind of battery it uses is still available - the camera is from about 1970)

Greg - wow, that would be a *really* nice surprise!

- David

Try this.

http://www.batteries.com/ or this http://www.photobattery.com/

[chris h]

Dave,

I would think that the metering on the Pentax will be not be as integral to the functions on the camera as the present day models so you could probably use it without the metering system and it'll still have manual film wind/mechanical shutter etc.
Stick in a roll of 400 iso film set the shutter to 250 at f8 or f11 and snap away. Any modern film processing regime will cope with variations within this exposure range and even the depth of field(area in focus) will be quite flexible.

A Pentax is a much nicer camera to use than any Nikon or Canon of that decade and the Takumar lenses were excellent. Just go out with the standard lens to start with so your not chopping and changing all the time and can get on with taking snaps instead of being equipment orientated like most amateurs.

Cheers...

[clare]

David,

I can't at the moment find the book that I was refering to. Its one of those tiny ones thats ment to be kept in your camera bag or become eternally lost on a book shelf. I'll keep looking though.

I have found some web sites that might be of interest though

www.mrpinhole.com
www.pinholeresource.com

and another that contains all sorts of interesting photography info

www.photographytips.com

This one has a section on pin hole cameras that include how to make one. I made my first with an old shoe box.

I don't know if you have a dark room - probably not as you are just starting out. A black and white darkroom of this sort is quite cheap to set up, as you don't need an enlarger - just a few trays to develop the print in, or check out your local schools and colleges, most would probably be willing to give access to you, just tell them how mad you are about photography.
Also check out local camera clubs, when I first started loads of people from the local camera club donated things (filters, enlargers, darkroom gear, etc.) to my education. To them it was fantastic to beable to share some of there information with a future photographer.

Good luck and I will keep looking for the book
Clare

[d_kendal]

thanks Clare, the sites you recommended look really interesting. I'm lucky, my aunt and uncle run a little publishing company and they have a really nice darkroom which I could use sometimes.

- David

[Ed_L]

David, don't do it!! We might not hear from you for a month or so at a time if you get in the darkroom. The first time I saw an image pop in the developer (B&W), I was hooked.

Ed

[d_kendal]

thanks for the warning Ed!

I finally figured out what kind of camera it is: it's a Pentax Asahi Spotmatic
I 'm going to look for a new battery for it today.

- David

[clare]

Hi David,

I remember this Pentax, my dad had one as well.

Glad to hear you have access to a darkroom. I agree with ed once you see your first image develop you will be hooked. It took me about 3 years to get back out of the darkroom! I now nearly always print in colour, for some freak of nature I find this easier... I never understood this.

I would be really interested to see any of the images you produce and if you get the pinhole going please post your results.

Clare

[chris h]

Dave, A useful piece of kit for the outdoor snapper, plenty of room for instruction manuals and no punctures!

[d_kendal]

great pic. where did you come across it?

- David

[COLONELFLAG]

I am biased towards Canon because that is what I have used for years ( Rebel and EOS-7). I also know a well-known (locally) photographic aritst who could afford anything she wanted and she carries her Canon Rebel 2000 all over the world with her.

As far as education goes books will help but I would suggest you look into basic photo courses in the Art dept of local community colleges. the formality and structure will drive your learning at a much faster rate than just reading a book. IMHO

KTM

[d_kendal]

Hi Ken,

Welcome to RetouchPRO! very interesting to hear about the Rebel 2000, since that's the camera I'll most likely buy when I get my own. thanks for the tips.

- David

[paulette conlan]

Hi
Need some advise. I want to use my Canon A1 to take some indoor action pictures. It will be a cheer leading demonstration in a room that will most likely have only natural lighting from the windows. They will be performing in front of the windows at the time of day when the sun will be coming in. I can't change that.

Anyway I thought I would use a 800 ASA film to avoid having to deal with flash reflections in the windows. Should that be enough to prevent blurring?

Also the camera has only manual focus and I have forgotten how to set a focus zone so that I don't have to fiddle around with focusing manually which is cumbersome when you wear glasses and the room is not that bright. I can't just do a set focus from a fixed stop since they'll be moving around the room .

Does anyone know the settings of a self focus cameras ? If I set it at 10 feet for example what shutter speed and aperature would I need to keep the subjects in focus from say 6 feet to 14 feet?

Any help would be appreciated.



Paulette

[clare]

I would be tempted if possible to get someone to stand where you think the most likely place for the models is - to help you focus for that point. Then do minor adjustments to your focus if and when nessasary.

Be aware of the shutter speed and make sure that your camera is set for the fore ground so that the windows do not produce an under exposed on the models - again this can be set by your subject standing in situe before the main shot. Setting a good depth of field will help general focus issues.

This has the potential for some really fantastic images - don't be afraid to experiment a little. A slight bluring of the clothing might add to the general feel of the images against the bright windows.

Good luck and I would be really interested in seeing some of your results
Clare

Sorry I can't help with the canon problem - I am sure someone here can give you some insight. Have you tried the canon web site to the give any info there?

[paulette conlan]

Dear Clare,
Thank you for the advise. I think that it is the depth of field information that I was looking for. Have a good idea of what I want to do now. I can't tell you how much of a problem it is down here when you can't avoid having the windows in the background. The "sunshine of Florida" is aptly named.
I'll keep you posted.
Paulette

[Jakaleena]

Paulette,

I think maybe you want to use hyperfocal focusing in that situation. It's kind of difficult to explain without actually showing you, but I'll try...

If you look at your lens from the top, you should see some hyperfocal marks and lines (see attached image).

The hyperfocal numbers will correspond to your f-stops, and there will be 2 numbers for each f-stop - one on the left and one on the right.

Meter the light in the area you want to shoot and figure out what f-stop you will be using.

Focus your lens at the farthest point you want to be in focus and make a mental note of the distance. You should have meters, feet or both on your focus ring, and the distance you are focused at will be lined up with the center mark on your hyperfocal scale. Repeat for the nearest point you want to have in focus.

Set your farthest distance at the left hyperfocal mark that corresponds with the f-stop you'll be using (on some cameras I think this may be reversed and the farthest distance will be on the right instead of the left?). All of the distances that fall between the hyperfocal marks for the f-stop you'll be using will be in sharp focus.

With your farthest distance set to the left hyperfocal mark, if the closest distance you chose falls outside your right hand hyperfocal mark, you will need to choose a smaller aperture (bigger f-stop number) or limit your shooting area a bit more.

NOTE: When you look through your viewfinder, things will not LOOK like they're going to be in focus, but it DOES work - trust me!

The best way to prove this effect (if you want to test it in advance) is to go out and find some beautiful scenery on a nice bright f-16 day. Focus as you usually do for scenery and take a shot, then refocus by setting your infinity symbol on your left side f-16 hyperfocal mark and shoot the same scene again. You'll just be amazed at how much sharper the hyperfocal shot will be...!

[Ed_L]

Jak has some good advice on hyperfocal focusing. I used to shoot weddings, and I'd use that technique when I would shoot the dance floor shots because it was fast shooting, and fairly dark (but I did use flash). I'm not sure if you realize this, but shutter speed has no effect on focus (but it does on movement). Pick the aperture you need, then while metering, you should know if your shutter speed is fast enough. If not, you will have to make adjustments on your aperture setting, which will influence the depth of field. I think Clare was saying to be sure the bright windows do not influence your meter reading, or you could have some very poor exposures. I think it would be good if you could visit the shooting area before the day of shooting, just to get an idea of what you'll run into. Be sure to take your camera to test things out if you go. Best of luck.

Ed

[CJ Swartz]

Paulette, don't know if it's allowed, but if you can position yourself next to the windows and shoot towards the cheerleaders USING the window light, but not INTO the window light, you'll have wonderful natural lighting and less concern about "blowing out" the highlights from the sunshine.

[paulette conlan]

Thanks for all of the information.As I understand it now, the lower the aperature( higher f stop) the more that I will have a zone that will be in focus. What I have to do is get the highest possible shutter speed combined with the highest possible f stop to create an infocus zone.

I really can't do anything about where the group that I will be shooting will be positioning themself. It's the only place in the room where they can position themselves to perform.

Fortunately I 'll be able to try out some pictures in advance. I'd gotten so used to my digital camera that I've forgotten so much about using a "real" camera. Unfortunantly I find that my digital camera is not up to par with one of my "real" cameras when I do action photography. The shutter lag drives me crazy.

Paulette

[Ed_L]

Paulette,

If you find that you don't have quite enough light when you're shooting, you can always push the film (underexpose it) a stop or two, then have it processed as such. I'm not sure what the best film type would be for best results, but maybe someone else (Jak?) can shed some light on that subject. If not, the Kodak website should give you that kind of information (I think). Just remember that if you push film, you lose some quality. Just something else to think about if you run into trouble.

Ed

[Jakaleena]

It's not usually a good idea to push process color film. BW film lends itself well to push processing, but pushing color film can give some unwanted color shifts and also enhances the grain quite a bit.

Color film has a great deal of latitude built into it and can usually be underexposed by a couple of stops without having to adjust the processing.

The following quote is from The Black & White Darkroom

Black and white negative films and color reversal films (slides) can be push processed. Color print films however have a far greater latitude than do color slide films. A color print film can be incorrectly exposed by as much as 2 stops and still produce a satisfactory print using standard processing. Also when color print films are pushed, they may develop strange color casts which are difficult to correct. For these reasons, do not attempt this technique with color print films.

If you have access to the location before hand, it is a good idea to just go and make some test shots. I really do recommend using flash if at all possible. When I shoot rodeos indoors, I use Kodak Supra 800, a good flash, and the fastest shutter speed possible. I prefer 1/250 or better, but sometimes the fastest possible is only 1/125, but with good flash that's usually enough.

If 800 speed film isn't quite enough, Fuji makes a 1600 speed color film (although it is fairly grainy).

[Ed_L]

Thanks for the info Jak. I've push processed B&W and E-6 films, but I never tried color negative films. Good to know.

Ed

[chris h]

Dave I was just wondering if you managed any photography with the Pentax or are you still ploughing through the manuals !!!

[d_kendal]

Hey Chris,

well I read up a bit on the manuals, replaced the dead battery and everything put in a roll of film to test it out, but it didn't actually work, so for now I'm still using a regular point and shoot camera (I found a cheap used Pentax 38-60mm zoom camera). I did get a bit of practice shooting some pics when I went for a bit of a vacation two weeks ago to some nice falls in the southern end of my province. I'll try to post some of them in the gallery when I've got my new system built up (I'm using my Linux server right now as an interim system for email and everything - I'm not going to try to hook up my scanner though, too much of a pain to configure in Linux..) anyway, I've pretty much given up on trying to get an SLR, I'm spending all my money on new computer parts and other things (well, mostly computer parts!)

- David

P.S. Happy Canada Day to all you Canadians on here!!

[chris h]

Won't that Pentax work in manual mode? Forget all this high end computer stuff and get snapping!

ditto "and other things" Assuming you mean the young ladies of Edmonton cast them aside women are fatal when it comes to creating 'art'

[d_kendal]

Well actually I tried everything I could think of with the camera and couldn't get it to work, I may try taking it in to a camera shop to see if they can convince it to work for me though.
lol, actually by "other things" I was just referring to bills, i.e. my dsl line, sattelite tv, cell phone.. nothing particularly exciting!

- David

[chris h]

Funny you should mention ADSL it actually been activated in my rural village so should be bidding pop3 farewell on the 8th July !

[d_kendal]

nice! I do have to warn you though, once you try it you'll never be able to go back to dial up again, any time I'm forced to use it now I'm always suprised by how incredibly slow it is when compared to broadband.

- David

[chris h]

Thats the general view of everybody I think Dave. ADSL has been slow to appear outside of the cities here which made it all the more surprising when I got the news here. There are some large offices nearby which I thought might have speeded the arrival of ADSL but they probably had their own private data links anyway.