Camera help!!!?

Question

I am in basic photo class and we use those old black and white cameras...and i have no clue how to take good picture..because whenever i develope my pictures...there is always something wrong with the picture....i need help with the F-STOP and SHUTTER SPPED..plz i need help from people who actually know what i am talking about

Answer 1

Sounds like you're having some trouble understanding the relationship between light and aperture setting (f/stop).

Here's an easy way to know what f/stop.
Pretend the camera lens is your eyes. When it's bright and sunny outside you'll squint. Same for the camera lens, you'll use a smaller f/stop, like f/16 maybe f/11.

When it's cloudy or overcast outside you'll open your eyes more, for the lens you can use f/8, maybe f/5.6

When it's dark or night time you open your eyes even more to let in more light, for the lens you'll be using f/4 or f/2.8

Shutter speed is another lesson, similar theory. Send me a message if you're interested.
www.geocities.com/mjmedrano

Answer 2

Lance, more light makes an image lighter and less light makes it darker. Please don't answer if you don't know what you're talking about.

Anyway, take notes about your aperture and shutter settings. Try one image on a few different settings. Keep the aperture the same and try one stop faster and one slower on the shutter speed, or keep the shutter speed constant and change the aperture one stop either way. This is called bracketing. It will get you closer to a good shot. If you take careful notes and bracket, you should learn what you've been doing wrong pretty quickly.

Meanwhile, keep in mind the sunny 16 rule. Sunny day, shutter speed same number as your film ISO (actually it's a fraction of 1 over the number, but on the dial it will just be that number.) Aperture at f16. Move into the shade and all you need to do is open it up a stop to f11). Overcast, go another stop. Keep practicing and you'll get it!

Answer 3

The camera you are using has a meter. When you look through the viewfinder you may see a circle on the end of a pointer and another pointer which moves as you point the camera toward different light sources. Other cameras may have a bracket ( ] ) on the right side of the viewfinder, with a + at its top and a - at its bottom. Correct exposure will be when the pointer is centered in the circle or in the middle of the bracket.

Correct exposure depends on the combination of f-stop and shutter speed to center the pointer.

f-stop (aka aperture)

This is the size of the opening in the diaphragm in the lens. It has a number value such as f1.4, f2, f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8 f11, f16 and is shown on a ring on the lens. The smaller the number, the more light the lens admits. If you are using f1.4 you are said to be shooting "wide open". The lens is admitting as much light as possible. As you use smaller f-stops (bigger numbers) less and less light is admitted. f2 admits 1/2 as much light as f1.4; f2.8 admits 1/2 as much light as f2, etc.

Shutter Speed

The shutter speed controls how long the light admitted by the lens is allowed to expose the light sensitive surface (film or digital sensor). The speeds are shown on a dial, usually on the top right of your camera. They are B, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, 500, 1000.

"B" is a setting that allows you to hold the shutter open as long as you want. "1" is one second; "2" is 1/2 second; "4" is 1/4 second; "8" is 1/8 second; "15" is 1/15 second and so on.
As you can see, as the numbers get bigger the shutter speed increases. The faster the shutter speed the less time the light is allowed to expose our light sensitive surface.

Working Together

This chart is to show the relationship of f-stop and shutter speed. It is for illustrative use only, not actual settings you can use.

f1.4 @ 1/1000 sec.
f2 @ 1/500 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/250 sec.
f4 @ 1/125 sec.
f5.6 @ 1/60 sec.
f8 @ 1/30 sec.
f11 @ 1/15 sec.
f16 @ 1/8 sec.

As you use the f-stop to control the amount of light admitted, your shutter speed changes. Less light admitted by the lens means the shutter has to stay open longer to expose our light sensitive surface. More light admitted means the shutter has to stay open for less time.

Remember, as you move up the f-stops (from f1.4 to f2 to f2.8 to f4, etc.) you are admitting less and less light. Less light requires a longer time to expose the light sensitive surface (film or sensor) so your shutter speed gets slower. It is best to keep your shutter speed at 1/125 or higher to avoid blurred pictures caused by camera movement.

Answer 4

A small aperture such as F32 will give you the most dept of field. That means more is in focus. Where a larger opening such as f2.8 will allow more light in but give you a more selective focus. I use that for people a lot so the background is blurred out.When using F32 you need either good day light, a flash or a high ISA. ISa 100 needs lost of light, 400 less, and 800 even less. Shutterspead depends again on how much light you get. For handhold shooting you should use no less than 60. With a tripot you can use slower shutterspeeds to expose the film to more light. That does not work for people to well unless you want to see motions.
If you work with natural light make sure to fill in the shadow with a reflector or fill card. That can be in form of a silver or white card. You can make your own using cardboard white spraypaint of glue silver foil on it. One card can have a white side and silver on the other. For warmer looking fill use a golden foil. Some metallic wrapping papers are great for such purpose.

Answer 5

Iris and Terisu are getting you on-track re. shutter speed and f-stop. But there is a bit more to it that you'll learn by using your study materials and by taking pictures- lotsa' pictures. Remember to record on every shot: 1. film ASA/DIN, 2. f-stop, 3. shutter speed, 4. lens focal length. Always bracket your shots. Bracketing is taking at a shot with the f-stop and shutter speed you think is best, then taking a shot 1 stop over-exposure, then another shot 1 stop under-exposure. Do not confuse "stop" with "f-stop". A "stop" is a shutter speed & f-stop combination. And "f-stop" refers only to the lens opening. Ask your instructor for a demonstration of bracketing.

Remember the camera operator takes the picture. The camera records only what/how it is instructed to do.

Answer 6

Most cameras, even the old ones, have meters. Just do a Google, find the manual for the camera and use the meter. If you don't have one and you are outside in bright sunlight, set your f stop to f16 and set the shutter speed to whatever the asa/iso (400, 200 etc.) is of the film. That'll give you a good photo.

Answer 7

In simplist form the F-stop (apiture) is telling you how big the whole is that the light is coming throug. For example if you set your camera to f-16 then the whole is realy small, this means less light hiting the film or sensor, making it a lighter picture. Also a small apiture will make the picture have a large depth of feild. If it says f-2.8 then the whole is realy large, this would let more light hit the film or sensor making it a darker picture. With this picture you would have a small depth of feild. It might sound like the numbers sound wrong but they aren't. One more thing, If you have a wide apiture like f-2.8 then it works beter in low light conditions.

Shuter speed. This plays a majior role in how much light enters the lense and fast or slow your shuter speed is. If you have a high suter speed then you can take a picture of faster moving objects but less light gets into the camera. With a slower shuter speed you can blur thing out and you alow more light into the lense.

With bouth of these thing considerd it just takes practice to figure out what should be used for difernt ocations. Just remember that the more light that gets into the lense the darker the picture will be and if you are working in low light conditions you can bost the light. If less light gets in then the picture will be lighter, beter for outside photography.

You should also go buy some books on photography a read what they have to say. A good one is the Photography Bible.

Answer 8

what do you want to know?

use a fast shutter to freeze things or flash, use a slow shutter for long exposures like night shots

use a small apeture for depth, a large one for less depth,

exactly what do you need to know?

a

Answer 9

Is it an old camera. If so you have to make sure that the object your photographing is completely still
No blinking or anything (if you are taking pics of a human/ animal)!!!