4g61t.org

Just thought i'd start a thread to maybe get some tips (looking at Tonus here ) Basically i've got this EOS 400D sitting here, and I was thinking the other day that it's a bit of a waste because i've always just shot in auto mode and let the camera work out the aperture/shutter speed/ISO by itself. I took photography at school for 2 years, but that was about 7 years ago now, so I guess i've forgotten a lot of what I learnt (a large portion of the course was focused on learning how to develop photos though, as we shot in film rather than digital). I used to be able to shoot in full manual and turn out some decent shots.

I'm using the el-cheapo 18-55mm kit lense at the moment. I have a 50mm f1.8 somewhere as well that I used to use on my old film camera (also a Canon), i'm pretty sure they use the same mount right? Will see if I can find it. I'm not rich so I can't really afford to go out and put down mega bucks on an awesome lense, but what would be a good value all-rounder for the type of photography i'm wanting to do (mainly cars at the moment)

I shot the below photos of my friend's Evo in full auto mode and edited in photoshop after. In terms of composition I thought they were pretty decent, but that's to my untrained eyes. What do you guys think (Tonuuuus? )


Wheels should've been turned the other way in these shots? Kinda realised this after I took them...






I would've liked to bring the Evo into focus in these two and blur the background a tad I guess. Had I shot in manual, would a lower f-stop achieve this?















In this one the whole shot turned out really dark. I had a play with the exposure etc in photoshop but the sky went white and the rest of it turned out quite noisy. Got the sky back with the history brush. Not sure I like it...




These were shot in the same location, again turned out dark so I had to play with them in photoshop






Panning attempt








Now the next few were taken yesterday. I shot in RAW and on aperture priority mode, and then edited in adobe lightroom. Obviously I could use a lot of practice but considering it was my first time shooting in manual since my school days I think they turned out okay?

My cat standing I didn't wanna miss this shot lol, so I just quickly whacked in some settings that seemed safe
f/5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO-800


Morning sun was on a weird angle in this one, so I took the photo from the shade. Turned out weird. Yeah I know my car's filthy...
f/7.1, 1/125 sec, ISO-200


I took a heap of engine bay pics and none of them turned out right. One reason I think is the lighting, bright morning sun, composure was a bit off too in this one
f/6.3, 1/200 sec, ISO-100


Not much to say about this one, turned out okay I guess?
f/9, 1/100 sec, ISO-100

_________________
1990 C83A 4WD 4G63T powered hatch - [PSIBRG]
1992 JZX91 2JZ powered Toyota Mark II

Looking good, man! 400D is a solid camera, and the kit lens does a decent enough job to get you started. Most of the old Canon film bodies are an FD mount, which will not work on your 400D. If it's an EF mount then it will work. An EF 50mm f/1.8 can be had used for very cheap, and there are a lot of 3rd-party lens options that are really good. If you want any advice with lens selection I'd be happy to help.

As far as camera modes are concerned, back when I had my Rebel XT (350D on your side of the pond), I always shot either in full manual, or Av mode, and I always shot in RAW + JPEG. RAW is the way to go 100% of the time. Now I've got a 40D, and I always shoot it in full manual, but that's beside the point. If you have any specific questions about the different modes just ask.

As far as your pics are concerned, I really like all of them except for the first two. In the 3rd one I would have turned the wheels the other way, but the exposure is spot on. All the others are really cool, bad-ass car too, that always helps. Get out there and shoot man! There is no better way to hone your skills and get better.

_________________
91 GSX - 511fwhp and 352 lb/ft 25psi 110 octane, 7.68 @ 95.9mph 1/8th 21psi 91 octane, 11.93 @ 112.9mph, 117.7mph best trap speed, 20psi 91 octane
98 Volvo S70 T5 - DD

http://www.facebook.com/captaintonus

I just found my old 50mm f/1.8, it fits right on More of a portrait lens than anything else though right? (from memory that's what I was using it for in class back at school)

I know the kit lens will do me fine for now, but I wouldn't mind having a better 'general purpose' one in my arsenal. After reading a couple of reviews etc i'm considering either a 17-85mm IS f/4-5.6 or a 28-135mm IS f/3.5-5.6 - both can be had for around the $400 mark (used, but in almost perfect condition) which is probably the most i'm willing to spend at the moment. What do you think of these, or do you know of any others of similar value that would better fit the bill?

In what kinda situation would I use shutter speed priority mode? Low light shooting on a tripod?

I'll work my way up to shooting in full manual eventually. At the moment Av seems like a safe bet. Shooting in RAW + JPEG sounds like a good idea. I might pick up a new card, my 1GB would probably fill up a bit too quick.

Thanks for the encouragement!

_________________
1990 C83A 4WD 4G63T powered hatch - [PSIBRG]
1992 JZX91 2JZ powered Toyota Mark II

Yeah, you're right about the 50mm, it is better-suited for portraits. Doesn't mean you can't use it for other stuff though. In general, having a prime lens is really important, it teaches you a lot about composition because you can't zoom in or out, so you have to actually move your feet. The 50mm, or nifty-fifty as a lot people call it, is really solid. I also really love the 85mm f/1.8 for a prime lens, personally I think the longer reach is more beneficial.
Those lenses are both ok, but I wouldn't use either one of them. For my money, the best walkaround all-purpose lens hands-down is the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. I have one, and I freaking love it. Shoots at a constant 2.8 max aperture throughout the zoom range, and you can find a good used copy for $350US any day of the week. Are you a member on http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php ? If not, you need to register. They have a killer classified section. That's where I get all my gear. Pretty much everything I own is second-hand. Photographers all take really good care of their gear.
The only time I use shutter priority is when I'm doing a panning shot or a rolling shot and I know exactly what shutter speed I want to use. Otherwise, I find it to be sort of useless. For low-light stuff I almost always go full-manual, because as you get better at this you'll find that you're smarter than your camera and you'll want to be able to control the aperture and shutter speed both on your own.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I'm a full-on photography geek as I'm sure you can tell.

_________________
91 GSX - 511fwhp and 352 lb/ft 25psi 110 octane, 7.68 @ 95.9mph 1/8th 21psi 91 octane, 11.93 @ 112.9mph, 117.7mph best trap speed, 20psi 91 octane
98 Volvo S70 T5 - DD

http://www.facebook.com/captaintonus

Awesome, thanks alot for all the advice! I'm sure i'll have more questions for you later I've checked out the Tamron 17-50mm and can get one second hand for around $500. Might be worth investing in sometime. I've had a quick browse on photography-on-the-net, looks like a good forum. I'll join up when I have a spare sec.

Here's my latest batch haha -
Not sure if it's really noticeable but my car was absolutely FILTHY. It's been sitting under some weird tree that drops sticky dust-like crap for the last 3 months, bit of bird shit here and there too... I just got it running today so boostin' was higher on the priority list than washin'.

Focus fail...








(This is not me)




One of the most unmodified early Evos around (but probably not for long), goes pretty good for what it is.


Filthy

_________________
1990 C83A 4WD 4G63T powered hatch - [PSIBRG]
1992 JZX91 2JZ powered Toyota Mark II

You picked a great time of day to take pictures, but the wrong location. With regards to car photography, it's a big no-no to photograph in places that have light poles or trees or anything potentially distracting in them. In a couple of those you've got light poles growing out of the roofs of the cats, etc. It's a pain in the ass to photograph 2 cars at once, so no worries. Keep shooting and let me know if you need any other tips!

_________________
91 GSX - 511fwhp and 352 lb/ft 25psi 110 octane, 7.68 @ 95.9mph 1/8th 21psi 91 octane, 11.93 @ 112.9mph, 117.7mph best trap speed, 20psi 91 octane
98 Volvo S70 T5 - DD

http://www.facebook.com/captaintonus

Haha yeah, I actually didn't even think about the poles/trees until I loaded the photos up on my computer. I know what ya mean though. This was a spur of the moment photoshoot, it's the nicest place I could think of within 2 min of my house (local skate park). I can't drive far at the moment because my alternator is poked Gonna head back to the previous waterfront location when i've fixed it and try some night photography. At night the cityscape lights up, it's a nice backdrop.

_________________
1990 C83A 4WD 4G63T powered hatch - [PSIBRG]
1992 JZX91 2JZ powered Toyota Mark II

Nothing to do with photography, but I was walking through a campground about 1.5 hours North into the Quebec from Ottawa, Ontario, and what car do you think was parked next to the washroom building(insert question mark because my keyboard is going boink).

Same Lancer EVO RHD imported, but with the smooth (non-evo) lower cladding.

Love the pics by the by.

Thanks man.

By lower cladding do you mean the side skirts? This car has Evo 3 side skirts and end caps, but it's an Evo 1. Evo 1/2 skirts are alot less.... 'out there'

_________________
1990 C83A 4WD 4G63T powered hatch - [PSIBRG]
1992 JZX91 2JZ powered Toyota Mark II

Yes, the side skirts were unlabelled and less prominent or out-there. It must have been a 1-2 model like you stated.

Some shots in my driveway with the 50mm. I like this lens!

_________________
1990 C83A 4WD 4G63T powered hatch - [PSIBRG]
1992 JZX91 2JZ powered Toyota Mark II

Nice man! Yeah, the 50mm is great for these types of shots. You get nice creamy bokeh when you shoot wide open. I need to pick up another prime soon, I've been saving for the 100mm f/2.8 macro. I definitely like what I'm seeing! Here are some recent shots I did for a buddy of mine.

_________________
91 GSX - 511fwhp and 352 lb/ft 25psi 110 octane, 7.68 @ 95.9mph 1/8th 21psi 91 octane, 11.93 @ 112.9mph, 117.7mph best trap speed, 20psi 91 octane
98 Volvo S70 T5 - DD

http://www.facebook.com/captaintonus

Wow ^^^

_________________
1990 C83A 4WD 4G63T powered hatch - [PSIBRG]
1992 JZX91 2JZ powered Toyota Mark II

Hehe, thanks! All those pics were either taken with the Tamron 17-50 that I told you about, or my cheapo zoom which is a Canon 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5, I paid $200 for it shipped to my door.

_________________
91 GSX - 511fwhp and 352 lb/ft 25psi 110 octane, 7.68 @ 95.9mph 1/8th 21psi 91 octane, 11.93 @ 112.9mph, 117.7mph best trap speed, 20psi 91 octane
98 Volvo S70 T5 - DD

http://www.facebook.com/captaintonus

Nothing to do with photography, but how do you like those tires? Reason I ask is that I bought a pair last summer, and they make my car pull slightly left when I put them up front.

They hold the road like crazy, but after two alignments, new bushings, an AWD conversion, different springs, and four other models of tires on the front of my car, I can definitely say it's the tires. Any issues with them on your ride?

Edit: Probably not a fair comparison because your car is RHD. When I rode with a passenger it didn't pull. The thing I hate about these cars (US version) is that the driver and the engine both sit on the left making it way unbalanced in my opinion.