# Ghost mating



## kamakiri (Oct 20, 2009)

Thought I'd share some of what the new camera can do.

EXIF DATA

Camera: Canon EOS 7D

Exposure: 0.5

Aperture: f/11.0

Focal Length: 100 mm

ISO Speed: *6400*

Exposure Bias: 0 EV

Flash: Off, Did not fire

Timer, no lockup, from a tripod.







Full size 18MP for the pixel peepers.


----------



## Rick (Oct 20, 2009)

Nice shot!


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 20, 2009)

[SIZE=14pt]Cool man I will add this cam to my list tk man[/SIZE]


----------



## Katnapper (Oct 20, 2009)

Great shot, Grant! Love the crispness of it. And no "out of focus" parts. Thumbs up!!  

PS... I guess I'm a pixel peeper too... I like seeing all of the images big and clooooose up!


----------



## kamakiri (Oct 21, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Great shot, Grant! Love the crispness of it. And no "out of focus" parts. Thumbs up!!  PS... I guess I'm a pixel peeper too... I like seeing all of the images big and clooooose up!


Thanks for the compliments! Just wanted to show how well this camera does in the dark.

By the numbers, this exposure was at EV -12 That's much darker than a moonlit night at EV -5 and just a little brighter than a star-lit night at EV -15. Each level step is double the light.

Daylight is EV +16. or about 250 million times the light.

Becky, we gotta get you shooting in (M)anual mode...it really helps control the shot and get what (and as much as) you want in focus!  

For macro flash shots, I typically use ISO 400, 1/200 sec.(on the rebels), and f/11 or f/16. Let me know if you have questions!

I still have my original rebel if you need a more detailed how-to on manual settings.


----------



## wuwu (Oct 22, 2009)

you got a 7D? nice! i would totally get that camera if it were FF.


----------



## Katnapper (Oct 22, 2009)

kamakiri said:


> Thanks for the compliments! Just wanted to show how well this camera does in the dark.By the numbers, this exposure was at EV -12 That's much darker than a moonlit night at EV -5 and just a little brighter than a star-lit night at EV -15. Each level step is double the light.
> 
> Daylight is EV +16. or about 250 million times the light.
> 
> ...


How did you start? Did you read the manual? :blink: Or did you have someone show you, or take a class? Every time I look at the manual it just seems so overwhelming! Yen gave me some numbers tips like you just did a while back, but I didn't even know how to apply/adjust them. I did find the "manual mode" switch though, hehe. I'm going to look again and see if a class is offerred at one of our local community colleges. I think that would help me immensely. Thanks for the encouragement and persuasion to get "up to speed."


----------



## kamakiri (Oct 22, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> How did you start? Did you read the manual? :blink: Or did you have someone show you, or take a class? Every time I look at the manual it just seems so overwhelming! Yen gave me some numbers tips like you just did a while back, but I didn't even know how to apply/adjust them. I did find the "manual mode" switch though, hehe. I'm going to look again and see if a class is offerred at one of our local community colleges. I think that would help me immensely. Thanks for the encouragement and persuasion to get "up to speed."


I started with just the preset modes. Read a couple of books and started reading online, and continued to learn along the way. Moved to manual about a year later. I only thumbed through the manual a bit. Mostly to lookup specific functions.

I did take classes, but much later. A couple for wedding photography and one on composition. While I didn't get started with a formal class, I did recommend that for my wife...and it worked well for her. It was an evening class at the university extension.

I'll make a quick list of the specific steps and settings. Shouldn't take me long, but I have to have the camera in my hands to make sure I'm telling you to do the right things.

I think I have some photography materials I could give you, if you'd like PM me your mailing addy. Pretty sure I have some things that I kept through our last move.



wuwu said:


> you got a 7D? nice! i would totally get that camera if it were FF.


That's _exactly_ what I first thought. If it were FF (and to everyone else that doesn't mean Fruit Fly!) But when I went through the specs, it could replace my 1D2 which is crop, 8.5 fps, and uses a battery system that isn't compatible with all my other bodies.

I figured it should be even better for macro and birding, but I haven't used it for the latter just yet.


----------



## cloud jaguar (Oct 23, 2009)

Nice pic!


----------



## Katnapper (Oct 23, 2009)

So what _does_ FF mean? Just curious.


----------



## wuwu (Oct 23, 2009)

full frame.


----------



## Katnapper (Oct 23, 2009)

wuwu said:


> full frame.


Thanks, John!


----------



## yeatzee (Oct 23, 2009)

congrats on the new camera!!!

As for me, I forced myself to use Manual mode as soon as I got the camera. Anyone serious about taking macro shots should be using M mode. M-mode is what makes DSLR's so great, its all about *full contro*l.

Becky, I suggest if nothing else to take the camera outside switch it to manual mode and experiment. Note how changing the F-stop and shutter speed and ISO change the amount of light the camera captures, noise outputs, DOF (depth of field), and camera shake.

just as a FYI:

ISO: As a general rule of thumb, you want the lowest ISO possible (iso 100 is the lowest your camera can go to). To read in depth about ISO google it. Sometimes you must "crank up" the iso to get a proper exposure (so the image is not black (underexposed)/white (overexposed)) though, like what Kamikiri did here.

F-stop determines how much light the lens lets reach the camera's sensor. It opens/closes the aperture of the lens by incremental steps (f/4.5, f/5, f/5.6, f/6.3, f/7.1, f/8, etc.). The larger the # (i.e. F/11) the less bright the image will be (so you must compensate with a slower shutter speed/higher ISO). Likewise the larger the # the more depth of field you get (this concept is essential for macro photography!). Depth of field being how much is in focus.






(also, do not go higher than F/16 as after that usually the image becomes soft)

Shutter speed: The key here is to get the fastest shutter speed you can manage with the available light as to not get any form of camera shake (also important in macro photography)

All in all the key is to find a happy medium where you have the lowest possible ISO, Fastest possible shutter speed, and largest F-stop number (not past f/16) with the image being properly exposed (not to dark (underexposed) and not to bright (overexposed)).

If you have any specific questions, please ask


----------

