swaying tree tops

[Acipiter]

I was taking some more test shots this morning,( same camera as last time) mainly because the conditions have changed, dull and breezy. The shots were of some old nests high up in the tree tops. I set the camera to sports mode, the settings were f5.6 wide open, speed 1/30. they came out quite good. I then tried the tv setting, what ever I set this to the aperture setting lit up in red, and no matter what speed I set it to, the result was the same, very very dark. I am still inside the wood by the way. I am very pleased with the sports setting, but if I could just improved the results just a "little more", it would be just great, any ideas please?.

PS the camera is on full zoom 35x. (840) 35mm equiv.

[nightshade]

On a semi auto camera TV gives a fixed time/aperture for photographing the TV.
Photographing the tv was an old way of checking your shutter speeds on the old horizontal rubberised shutters, it can be used on vertical run metal bladed shutters as well.

[Acipiter]

I meant to say tv"mode", which is the shutter speed setting on the camera. the aperture automatically sets itself to how you set the speed. I have been trying the exposure settings on the pc and it looks like I have the answer to the brightness problem. But not a answer to the shutter speed if I need to increase it.

[Kayleigh]

I get dark images too on the TV mode to make them lighter I alter the ISO this seems to correct it.

[Acipiter]

I tried that thanks Kayleigh, too much noise. The pc has put that right, but I would still like to know how I can increase the shutter speed, when needed.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Acipiter

I tried that thanks Kayleigh, too much noise. The pc has put that right, but I would still like to know how I can increase the shutter speed, when needed.

There is scroll wheel on top of my canon next to the shutter button that increases the shutter speed on the TV setting.
Hope this helps..

[Acipiter]

I tried that too Kayleigh, increasing the speed only makes the image far too dark.

[Lancashire Lad]

What ISO speed is your camera set at?

Does the camera have auto control over ISO speed when set to Sport Mode- or does it always stay at what you've set it at?

If it stays at what you've set it at, and you say you are getting good exposure at 1/30th at f5.6,

Then, 1/30th @ f5.6 @ ISO?? (whatever the ISO is set at) are your baseline figures.

All you need to do is work out what are comparable exposures to your baseline figures.

To find such comparable exposures, all that needs to be done is adjust any two of the figures at a time.

One of the figures must be increased by one setting, and the other must be decreased by one setting.

If you increase one of the figures by two settings, then the other figure must be reduced by two settings. - Or, both of the other two figures must each be reduced by one setting.

for example (assuming that your ISO was set at 200)

Correct exposure was 1/30th @ f5.6 @ ISO200

Equivalent (1) could be 1/60th @ f5.6 @ ISO400

Equivalent (2) could be 1/15th @ f8 @ ISO200

Equivalent (3) could be 1/125th @ f5.6 @ ISO800

If you have the camera set on tv, then you only have control over shutter speed and ISO, as the camera has control over aperture.

Therefore, at the point where the camera cannot set the aperture any wider (in this case you have already said that wide open is f5.6) then it will indicate under exposure.

Try playing around with the online exposure calculator I linked to in this post: -
Equivalent Exposure Calculator

It will give you a good grounding in what you need to be doing.

But you must appreciate that if the light isn't good enough, your camera simply will not be able to provide a suitable exposure for the type of shot you are envisaging - 1/30th at f5.6 zoomed out to 840mm (35mm equivalent) - the settings you have mentioned, would test even the most solidly mounted equipment.

Regards,
Mike.

[Acipiter]

I can not remember the iso speed setting mike, but in sports mode the camera automatically adjusts iso to match the conditions. I have just had a look at the info disc that came with the camera, and I read this, with tv and av modes you can use safety shift to automatically adjust for the correct exposure. I will try out your suggestion as soon as I can Mike, meanwhile can you explain the safety shift, does this mean it would automatically adjust the shutter speed.


I have taken on board your last sentence, about asking to much from my camera mike, I live in hope.

Regards Alan.

[Lancashire Lad]

Hi Alan,

If your camera can alter the ISO speed in sport mode, as well as shutter and aperture values, then effectively you have no control at all over what it is doing. - I can't comment on the workings of the "safety shift" as I'm not familiar with that term, (I assume that it is something unique to your camera/manufacturer) and don't know exactly how it affects the camera's settings.

Personally though, I'd strongly recommend avoiding the use of any of these "modes" as they rely on average settings for typical conditions to be expected for the subjects, and never allow the photographer, to take control.

If you stick with shutter priority, aperture priority, and full manual (i.e. both shutter and aperture under your control), then your photographic technique will improve in leaps and bounds.

I'd suggest putting the camera into shutter priority, and taking some photos of easy subjects in good lighting.

Make proper notes of the exposure settings for each shot (or get that information from the exif data that will be logged with each exposure).

Then make a specific point of taking the same shot but with equivalent exposure settings. (as described in my previous post). - and note how each different group of settings affects the final result.

Provided that you are working in good light, and your camera's exposure meter is accurate, all of the exposures should be good, but different shutter speeds, apertures and ISO speeds, will each have an effect on sharpness (of moving subjects), on depth of field, and on the amount of/setting at which, "noise artifacts" start to become apparent.

Only when you can appreciate what setting causes what change to the end result, will you be in a position to go for the "right" combination when your next subject appears in the viewfinder.

Unfortunately there is no other real way of getting the necessary understanding of the mechanics of exposure. - If you continue to use the manufacturer's array of "modes", where the camera is in control and not yourself, you may get good exposures and good results one day, but not the next - and when you try to analyse what went wrong, you will always find it harder to reach any satisfactory conclusions.

If you play with the online equivalent exposure calculater until you know precisely what setting to alter every time, then when you are out taking photos, you will have the necessary wherewithall, to do what needs to be done

Regards,
Mike.