Photography Filters Explained
I am buying a Nikon D60 and I need to know what to get with it. In case you can’t tell I am new to D-slr?
Please explain the lenses and how they work
and what should I get with my camera regarding lenses and filters etc.
I am, like I said, new to this and am a senior in high school wanting to pursue a career in photography. General info would be greatly appreciated too. My budget is about a $1,000
Thanks
I wouldn’t get a D60…it has no internal motor, meaning that it is limited to AF-S lenses, which are great, but more expensive than regular AF lenses. I would buy a D50, because it has an internal motor for the older AF lenses.
The D50 combined with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 will cover all you need, for well under a thousand dollars, leaving you some cash left over for a flash (I’d suggest an SB-600.) Also, get a 52mm and 62 (if I remember correctly) neutral density filter.
Now, here’s some explanation, let’s call it tisblogging’s photo course in five minutes.
The camera works by recording light to a small CCD, CMOS, or MOS sensor. The amount of light and duration of the light determine how well, or not, the photo is exposed. The amount of light is determined by several factors, three of which you control (in an outdoor environment.) The first is shutter speed, or how long the sensor is exposed to the light. The shutter speed is what will allow you to do things like panning and blurred zoom shots. The second is the aperture, or f/stop. The higher the f/stop number the smaller size of the aperture. For example, an aperture setting of f/2.8 will let more light into your camera than an aperture setting of f/11. With some lenses the aperture setting will be selected on the body of the lens, others have to be selected with the camera. Shutter speed is always set on the camera body. ISO is the sensitivity to light of the sensor. The higher the ISO the faster your shutter speed can be. Why not just keep it really high you may ask? Because when you turn up the ISO really high you cause “noise,” or “grain.” Noise/grain show up as small bits of crap on your photo, or randomly colored pixels. Low ISOs have for smaller amounts of noise, and at speeds of 800 and below it will be hardly noticeable.
Here are some basic formulas for exposing (outside.)
sunlight-f/16 at shutter speed closest to the ISO or your film/sensor. Example: You’re shooting in sunlight with your CCD set to ISO 200. Your exposure would be f/16@200. Simple.
light overcast-f/11@shutter speed closest to ISO of your film/sensor.
Example: You’re shooting at ISO 800 in light overcast. Your exposure would be f/11@1000.
heavy overcast-f/8@shutter speed closest to the ISO of your film/sensor. Example: You’re shooting in heavy overcast with your CCD set to ISO 100. Your exposure would be f/8@100.
shade-f/5.6@shutter speed closest to the ISO of your film/sensor. Example: You’re shooting in the shade at ISO 400. Your exposure would be f/5.6@500.
How to differentiate between light and heavy overcast…if you can see your shadow, it is light overcast.
Never switch lenses when your camera is on. Never touch the mirror or CCD. Never touch the lens glass with your finger, or anything that is not a lens tissue, in fact. Remember to always keep the strap around your neck. Keep your neutral density filters on so you don’t have to clean your lens very often. Keep in mind that on Auto DSLRs generally give you a slower shutter speed than is possible.
That’s all I can think of. If you have questions just contact me. And good luck.
P.S.–take a few photography courses.
Photography Tutorials: Landscape photography- Filters
Tags: camera, filter, filters, Photography, tutorial