Keycap & Keyboard Photography

[frosty]

Show Image

It was time to do a clean out, so I used the opportunity to take a picture.

Nice one :)

[cooldiscretion]

Show Image

Nice!  The company I work at has one of these sitting around in really good condition.  They won't let me use it since they 'think' there is a
test computer that requires a din5 connector that it is meant for, but nobody can tell me where said computer is.  So, it just sits unused
and unappreciated except for me when I wander by it.   :'(

[hwood34]

Show Image

Nice!  The company I work at has one of these sitting around in really good condition.  They won't let me use it since they 'think' there is a
test computer that requires a din5 connector that it is meant for, but nobody can tell me where said computer is.  So, it just sits unused
and unappreciated except for me when I wander by it.   :'(

Just get a converter, or find some other cheap board with a din5. You can't just let it sit unappreciated ;)

[cooldiscretion]

Show Image

Nice!  The company I work at has one of these sitting around in really good condition.  They won't let me use it since they 'think' there is a
test computer that requires a din5 connector that it is meant for, but nobody can tell me where said computer is.  So, it just sits unused
and unappreciated except for me when I wander by it.   :'(

Just get a converter, or find some other cheap board with a din5. You can't just let it sit unappreciated ;)

Maybe I will. Nobody realizes its value since I'm the only keyboard lover.  And the badge is missing. Took me a while to figure out what it was since there were literally no other markings anywhere. Do you know if the  original caps are pbt? They kind of felt that way to me. Although I see you've swapped out the alphas and the escape key.

[Buckling]

Are we doing Lion Keyngs now?? 

Show Image

Lion Keyngs by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr

This is going as my Facebook banner. I need one of these whenever a new sale happens!

[HoffmanMyster]

Are we doing Lion Keyngs now?? 

Show Image

Lion Keyngs by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr

This is going as my Facebook banner. I need one of these whenever a new sale happens!

 :-[   That's awesome!  :D  Do you want one without that pesky watermark in the corner?

[hwood34]

Show Image

Nice!  The company I work at has one of these sitting around in really good condition.  They won't let me use it since they 'think' there is a
test computer that requires a din5 connector that it is meant for, but nobody can tell me where said computer is.  So, it just sits unused
and unappreciated except for me when I wander by it.   :'(

Just get a converter, or find some other cheap board with a din5. You can't just let it sit unappreciated ;)

Maybe I will. Nobody realizes its value since I'm the only keyboard lover.  And the badge is missing. Took me a while to figure out what it was since there were literally no other markings anywhere. Do you know if the  original caps are pbt? They kind of felt that way to me. Although I see you've swapped out the alphas and the escape key.

Nope, DS ABS.

[HendyZone]

GMK Red Esc

[ComradeSniper]

GMK Red Esc

Show Image

Show Image

Beautiful! I love the simplicity.

[rowdy]

GMK Red Esc

Show Image

Show Image

Ah, to nostalgically hearken to the days when these were $250 each ...

[StylinGreymon]

GMK Red Esc

Show Image

Show Image

Ah, to nostalgically hearken to the days when these were $250 each ...

Were they seriously that expensive? 

[Zeal]

GMK Red Esc

Show Image

Show Image

Ah, to nostalgically hearken to the days when these were $250 each ...

Were they seriously that expensive? 

Yes.
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36546.msg691654#msg691654

[rowdy]

GMK Red Esc

Show Image

Show Image

Ah, to nostalgically hearken to the days when these were $250 each ...

Were they seriously that expensive? 

Yes.
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36546.msg691654#msg691654

Ah ... that thread ... so memories ... when auctions got everyone riled, instead of just pretentious newcomers and fake artisan caps.

[Buckling]

Are we doing Lion Keyngs now?? 

Show Image

Lion Keyngs by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr

This is going as my Facebook banner. I need one of these whenever a new sale happens!

 :-[   That's awesome!  :D  Do you want one without that pesky watermark in the corner?

Nah, I don't mind having the watermark! its not my work  :p

[nubbinator]

Having a little fun with negative space and my new HHKB Reaper.

[Puddsy]

Having a little fun with negative space and my new HHKB Reaper.

Show Image

I like this picture a lot.

[hwood34]

More

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

Playing around with the lighting:

(Attachment Link)

(Attachment Link)

Danbo is life.

More

Show Image

Show Image

More

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Handstands are hard

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

PlayDanbo

More

Three's a party:

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Oh, what's that? You want more? Well you got it!

[Photekq]

Taking photos helps me sleep..

[HPE1000]

Taking photos helps me sleep..

Show Image

wow... so much texture, that is amazing  :thumb:

[MGH]

Taking photos helps me sleep..

Show Image

Is that a dyesub?

[tbc]

Taking photos helps me sleep..

Show Image

lol, really....?

i live in immortal fear of dropping my camera -_-

[The_Beast]

I need to up my macro game to Photekq levels!

I was just playing around, white balance could use some work.

[Photekq]

MGH, yes. It is a dyesub keycap from a Cherry G81-3000SAG.




Dust and lint are the banes of my existence, I swear.

Nice shots Beast. I took one of an AT32 a while ago..

[The_Beast]

MGH, yes. It is a dyesub keycap from a Cherry G81-3000SAG.

Show Image

Show Image

Dust and lint are the banes of my existence, I swear.

Nice shots Beast. I took one of an AT32 a while ago..

Show Image

Great shot! I for sure need to invest a bit in lighting. The ones above are just an ceiling light and a lamp, both about 7' away.

This SUPER cheap tripod works, but mostly since the A6000 is SO light!

[Photekq]

Great shot! I for sure need to invest a bit in lighting. The ones above are just an ceiling light and a lamp, both about 7' away.

This SUPER cheap tripod works, but mostly since the A6000 is SO light!

It's worth getting a cheap flash. I used a Yongnuo YN560-II for that photo of the AT32, and for a lot of my other macros (like the ones below). I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room for the macro I posted of the dyesub key though. For all shots I used a Nikon E-Series 50mm 1.8 with cheap macro extension tubes.

More

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3922/14721474331_fcf584b900_o.jpg
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/13762206483_0c4c426fc2_o.jpg
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/13696400373_1c96024505_o.jpg
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/13152162314_204dbe744c_o.jpg

[The_Beast]

Great shot! I for sure need to invest a bit in lighting. The ones above are just an ceiling light and a lamp, both about 7' away.

This SUPER cheap tripod works, but mostly since the A6000 is SO light!

It's worth getting a cheap flash. I used a Yongnuo YN560-II for that photo of the AT32, and for a lot of my other macros (like the ones below). I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room for the macro I posted of the dyesub key though. For all shots I used a Nikon E-Series 50mm 1.8 with cheap macro extension tubes.

More

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3922/14721474331_fcf584b900_o.jpg
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/13762206483_0c4c426fc2_o.jpg
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/13696400373_1c96024505_o.jpg
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/13152162314_204dbe744c_o.jpg

I was thinking of getting a cheap macro lens ring and two of the LED panels for side lighting (more than likely defuse them as well)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0031AQ302/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FJ0RGD0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I'm also thinking of getting some extension tubes that work with e mount so that I can do camera->extension tubes->adapter->50mm F3.5 minolta but also be able to use the kit 16-50mm F3.5 (which I've heard is pretty decent for macros).

Also on the hunt for a 50mm F1.4 minolta that tends to be pretty cheap, throw that on the same extension tube/adapter setup for some extra shallow DOF macro fun or just general shooting!

[Photekq]

I've never tried those LED rings, but they look really handy. I use the ghetto method of putting the exposure on for about 5 seconds, then holding the flash in my hand, positioning it, and firing it manually. Works well most of the time, but it can be quite hard to get it into a good spot since the lens is so close to the subject [with all my extension tubes attached we're talking a cm or two].

[HoffmanMyster]

I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room

This is still my preferred method and how most of my favourite personal shots were taken.   

[VesperSAINT]

I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room

This is still my preferred method and how most of my favourite personal shots were taken.   

[SavvyBird]

Quick question what do you guys prefer
Have 5 mid range prime lenses or 2 L prime lenses?


What lenses do you guys have or use :]

[cseng]

I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room

This is still my preferred method and how most of my favourite personal shots were taken.   

any tips on ISO and shutter speed values? i'm a noob so feel free to give further advices.

[The_Beast]

I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room

This is still my preferred method and how most of my favourite personal shots were taken.   

any tips on ISO and shutter speed values? i'm a noob so feel free to give further advices.

ISO as low as you can. Higher ISO = more grainy pictures. Different camera have different noise level performances. The Canon Rebel I'm using right now is decent up to around 800. The A6000 I have is decent up to around 3200, or 2 full stops better.

Shutter speed at least 1/60 if you're doing hand held shooting. With a tripod, just about any shutter speed will work. One tip is to do the 2 or 10 second timer so the camera isn't shaken when pressing the shutter on a really long exposure.


If I'm shooting hand held, I set shutter speed to at least 1/60 first, aperture is wide as it gets (for the most part) and adjust ISO last to get a decent light level. If shooting tripod, ISO 100, aperture closed or open (depending on what I'm doing) and  adjust the shutter speed last to get a decent light level.

[HoffmanMyster]

I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room

This is still my preferred method and how most of my favourite personal shots were taken.   

any tips on ISO and shutter speed values? i'm a noob so feel free to give further advices.

ISO as low as you can. Higher ISO = more grainy pictures. Different camera have different noise level performances. The Canon Rebel I'm using right now is decent up to around 800. The A6000 I have is decent up to around 3200, or 2 full stops better.

Shutter speed at least 1/60 if you're doing hand held shooting. With a tripod, just about any shutter speed will work. One tip is to do the 2 or 10 second timer so the camera isn't shaken when pressing the shutter on a really long exposure.


If I'm shooting hand held, I set shutter speed to at least 1/60 first, aperture is wide as it gets (for the most part) and adjust ISO last to get a decent light level. If shooting tripod, ISO 100, aperture closed or open (depending on what I'm doing) and  adjust the shutter speed last to get a decent light level.

This.

In general, the three things that affect the exposure of a shot are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.  ISO and aperture affect the way the picture looks (graininess and depth of field, respectively), whereas (when shooting stationary objects) there is no difference between shutter speeds if the exposure turns out the same (AFAIK - happy to be corrected).
What that means for my shooting technique is I will set ISO and aperture to set spots depending on what I'm doing, and set shutter speed dependent on that (I relate this to degrees of freedom - set two, let the situation designate the third).  I use ISO as a step-change function for light levels.  Can't get enough light with ISO 100?  Bump it up to 200 and try again.  This is clunky, and with experience I've learned what to expect to be able to use for given situations.  Aperture I set to whatever I'm looking for, and how shallow a depth of field I want.  This depends entirely on what shot you're going for.
If I'm feeling like doing less work, I'll put my camera in Aperture Priority mode, which sets shutter speed automatically, and gives you control of aperture.  This essentially "auto fills" the shutter speed that will give roughly a "properly" exposed image, making life easier.  Otherwise, you would just pick the shutter speed for the exposure you want.

And as The_Beast mentioned, the rule of thumb is shutter speed no quicker than 1/60 for hand-held shots.  With a steady hand you can manage 1/30, but it's more sketchy.

In the specific case that I quoted and mentioned above, shutting off all the lights and using monitor lights gives me a really nice shade of white that I like (my room lights are yellowy).  It also forces an indirect light, rather than a flash or other spotlight (indirect flashes in non-dark rooms are also good, just not what I'm referring to  ).  So in this dark room, I can manage exposures of about 10 seconds or so, which give the effect I like.  It's not bright and "properly" exposed, like a product shot would be, it's more subdued and just seems more natural to me.  I really like that.

Here is one such shot:

Poker II by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr

If you click to the image on flickr, you can see the EXIF data.  This one was a 4 second exposure.

Hope that helps at all, and if you have any other questions, I'm sure someone here would be happy to help!

[The_Beast]

I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room

This is still my preferred method and how most of my favourite personal shots were taken.   

any tips on ISO and shutter speed values? i'm a noob so feel free to give further advices.

ISO as low as you can. Higher ISO = more grainy pictures. Different camera have different noise level performances. The Canon Rebel I'm using right now is decent up to around 800. The A6000 I have is decent up to around 3200, or 2 full stops better.

Shutter speed at least 1/60 if you're doing hand held shooting. With a tripod, just about any shutter speed will work. One tip is to do the 2 or 10 second timer so the camera isn't shaken when pressing the shutter on a really long exposure.


If I'm shooting hand held, I set shutter speed to at least 1/60 first, aperture is wide as it gets (for the most part) and adjust ISO last to get a decent light level. If shooting tripod, ISO 100, aperture closed or open (depending on what I'm doing) and  adjust the shutter speed last to get a decent light level.

This.

In general, the three things that affect the exposure of a shot are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.  ISO and aperture affect the way the picture looks (graininess and depth of field, respectively), whereas (when shooting stationary objects) there is no difference between shutter speeds if the exposure turns out the same (AFAIK - happy to be corrected).
What that means for my shooting technique is I will set ISO and aperture to set spots depending on what I'm doing, and set shutter speed dependent on that (I relate this to degrees of freedom - set two, let the situation designate the third).  I use ISO as a step-change function for light levels.  Can't get enough light with ISO 100?  Bump it up to 200 and try again.  This is clunky, and with experience I've learned what to expect to be able to use for given situations.  Aperture I set to whatever I'm looking for, and how shallow a depth of field I want.  This depends entirely on what shot you're going for.
If I'm feeling like doing less work, I'll put my camera in Aperture Priority mode, which sets shutter speed automatically, and gives you control of aperture.  This essentially "auto fills" the shutter speed that will give roughly a "properly" exposed image, making life easier.  Otherwise, you would just pick the shutter speed for the exposure you want.

And as The_Beast mentioned, the rule of thumb is shutter speed no quicker than 1/60 for hand-held shots.  With a steady hand you can manage 1/30, but it's more sketchy.

In the specific case that I quoted and mentioned above, shutting off all the lights and using monitor lights gives me a really nice shade of white that I like (my room lights are yellowy).  It also forces an indirect light, rather than a flash or other spotlight (indirect flashes in non-dark rooms are also good, just not what I'm referring to  ).  So in this dark room, I can manage exposures of about 10 seconds or so, which give the effect I like.  It's not bright and "properly" exposed, like a product shot would be, it's more subdued and just seems more natural to me.  I really like that.

Here is one such shot:

Show Image

Poker II by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr

If you click to the image on flickr, you can see the EXIF data.  This one was a 4 second exposure.

Hope that helps at all, and if you have any other questions, I'm sure someone here would be happy to help!

No slower than 1/60 (1/30 is a slower shutter than 1/60), generally to get a decent, non blurry hand held shot.

If you're not fully conformable with full manual, do as HoffmanMyster said. Use shutter priority for hand held shooting (at least 1/60) and aperture priority for any tripod work.

Also, the auto ISO is WONDERFUL on the A6000. When going into auto mode, it allows you to pick your min (100) and max ISO (I try to stay under 3200). It's a feature I'm really loving. Plus, it has a TON of ISO settings. Most cameras have ISO 100, 200, 400, 800... where the A6000 has 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800... so a lot more ISO options in between full stops. Other camera might also have this, not 100%, but it's really nice to have and nail a "perfect" exposure.

[tbc]

i prefer the 1/focal length for shutter speed (remember to adjust for crop factor).  this accounts for using telephoto lens where things get rough.

if you have an aspc camera (such as sony a6000), your crop factor is 1.5.

an a6000 with a 30mm lens should be set to 1/45 according to the formula.  i think that's a really safe speed; but you'll still occasionally mess up (so practice ).  at the moment, i can stabilize a 30mm at 1/30s 100% of the time.

during beach shots, i rarely find myself below 1/500s and up to 1/2000s sometimes (the sun is REALLY bright), all at 100iso.


also using your viewfinder further stabilizes the camera more (your face effectively becomes another hand holding things steady).  this lets you use a slower shutter speed and therefore reduce your iso.

the last thing i will say is that optically stabilized lens help alot.  you can go from 1/60 to 1/15 (generally) with the same amount of blur (hopefully none).  ALSO, it will make the image shake less as you're framing your picture (this is crucial if you're doing something like taking a pic of a statue on a highrise with a telephoto lens). note: i'm not quite sure this last point applies to dslrs.
 

[HPE1000]

I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room

This is still my preferred method and how most of my favourite personal shots were taken.   

any tips on ISO and shutter speed values? i'm a noob so feel free to give further advices.

ISO as low as you can. Higher ISO = more grainy pictures. Different camera have different noise level performances. The Canon Rebel I'm using right now is decent up to around 800. The A6000 I have is decent up to around 3200, or 2 full stops better.

Shutter speed at least 1/60 if you're doing hand held shooting. With a tripod, just about any shutter speed will work. One tip is to do the 2 or 10 second timer so the camera isn't shaken when pressing the shutter on a really long exposure.


If I'm shooting hand held, I set shutter speed to at least 1/60 first, aperture is wide as it gets (for the most part) and adjust ISO last to get a decent light level. If shooting tripod, ISO 100, aperture closed or open (depending on what I'm doing) and  adjust the shutter speed last to get a decent light level.

This.

In general, the three things that affect the exposure of a shot are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.  ISO and aperture affect the way the picture looks (graininess and depth of field, respectively), whereas (when shooting stationary objects) there is no difference between shutter speeds if the exposure turns out the same (AFAIK - happy to be corrected).
What that means for my shooting technique is I will set ISO and aperture to set spots depending on what I'm doing, and set shutter speed dependent on that (I relate this to degrees of freedom - set two, let the situation designate the third).  I use ISO as a step-change function for light levels.  Can't get enough light with ISO 100?  Bump it up to 200 and try again.  This is clunky, and with experience I've learned what to expect to be able to use for given situations.  Aperture I set to whatever I'm looking for, and how shallow a depth of field I want.  This depends entirely on what shot you're going for.
If I'm feeling like doing less work, I'll put my camera in Aperture Priority mode, which sets shutter speed automatically, and gives you control of aperture.  This essentially "auto fills" the shutter speed that will give roughly a "properly" exposed image, making life easier.  Otherwise, you would just pick the shutter speed for the exposure you want.

And as The_Beast mentioned, the rule of thumb is shutter speed no quicker than 1/60 for hand-held shots.  With a steady hand you can manage 1/30, but it's more sketchy.

In the specific case that I quoted and mentioned above, shutting off all the lights and using monitor lights gives me a really nice shade of white that I like (my room lights are yellowy).  It also forces an indirect light, rather than a flash or other spotlight (indirect flashes in non-dark rooms are also good, just not what I'm referring to  ).  So in this dark room, I can manage exposures of about 10 seconds or so, which give the effect I like.  It's not bright and "properly" exposed, like a product shot would be, it's more subdued and just seems more natural to me.  I really like that.

Here is one such shot:

Show Image

Poker II by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr

If you click to the image on flickr, you can see the EXIF data.  This one was a 4 second exposure.

Hope that helps at all, and if you have any other questions, I'm sure someone here would be happy to help!

No slower than 1/60 (1/30 is a slower shutter than 1/60), generally to get a decent, non blurry hand held shot.

If you're not fully conformable with full manual, do as HoffmanMyster said. Use shutter priority for hand held shooting (at least 1/60) and aperture priority for any tripod work.

Also, the auto ISO is WONDERFUL on the A6000. When going into auto mode, it allows you to pick your min (100) and max ISO (I try to stay under 3200). It's a feature I'm really loving. Plus, it has a TON of ISO settings. Most cameras have ISO 100, 200, 400, 800... where the A6000 has 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800... so a lot more ISO options in between full stops. Other camera might also have this, not 100%, but it's really nice to have and nail a "perfect" exposure.

I do just fine shooting down at and below 1/8 by hand, maybe it's just me.

[tbc]

I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room

This is still my preferred method and how most of my favourite personal shots were taken.   

any tips on ISO and shutter speed values? i'm a noob so feel free to give further advices.

ISO as low as you can. Higher ISO = more grainy pictures. Different camera have different noise level performances. The Canon Rebel I'm using right now is decent up to around 800. The A6000 I have is decent up to around 3200, or 2 full stops better.

Shutter speed at least 1/60 if you're doing hand held shooting. With a tripod, just about any shutter speed will work. One tip is to do the 2 or 10 second timer so the camera isn't shaken when pressing the shutter on a really long exposure.


If I'm shooting hand held, I set shutter speed to at least 1/60 first, aperture is wide as it gets (for the most part) and adjust ISO last to get a decent light level. If shooting tripod, ISO 100, aperture closed or open (depending on what I'm doing) and  adjust the shutter speed last to get a decent light level.

This.

In general, the three things that affect the exposure of a shot are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.  ISO and aperture affect the way the picture looks (graininess and depth of field, respectively), whereas (when shooting stationary objects) there is no difference between shutter speeds if the exposure turns out the same (AFAIK - happy to be corrected).
What that means for my shooting technique is I will set ISO and aperture to set spots depending on what I'm doing, and set shutter speed dependent on that (I relate this to degrees of freedom - set two, let the situation designate the third).  I use ISO as a step-change function for light levels.  Can't get enough light with ISO 100?  Bump it up to 200 and try again.  This is clunky, and with experience I've learned what to expect to be able to use for given situations.  Aperture I set to whatever I'm looking for, and how shallow a depth of field I want.  This depends entirely on what shot you're going for.
If I'm feeling like doing less work, I'll put my camera in Aperture Priority mode, which sets shutter speed automatically, and gives you control of aperture.  This essentially "auto fills" the shutter speed that will give roughly a "properly" exposed image, making life easier.  Otherwise, you would just pick the shutter speed for the exposure you want.

And as The_Beast mentioned, the rule of thumb is shutter speed no quicker than 1/60 for hand-held shots.  With a steady hand you can manage 1/30, but it's more sketchy.

In the specific case that I quoted and mentioned above, shutting off all the lights and using monitor lights gives me a really nice shade of white that I like (my room lights are yellowy).  It also forces an indirect light, rather than a flash or other spotlight (indirect flashes in non-dark rooms are also good, just not what I'm referring to  ).  So in this dark room, I can manage exposures of about 10 seconds or so, which give the effect I like.  It's not bright and "properly" exposed, like a product shot would be, it's more subdued and just seems more natural to me.  I really like that.

Here is one such shot:

Show Image

Poker II by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr

If you click to the image on flickr, you can see the EXIF data.  This one was a 4 second exposure.

Hope that helps at all, and if you have any other questions, I'm sure someone here would be happy to help!

No slower than 1/60 (1/30 is a slower shutter than 1/60), generally to get a decent, non blurry hand held shot.

If you're not fully conformable with full manual, do as HoffmanMyster said. Use shutter priority for hand held shooting (at least 1/60) and aperture priority for any tripod work.

Also, the auto ISO is WONDERFUL on the A6000. When going into auto mode, it allows you to pick your min (100) and max ISO (I try to stay under 3200). It's a feature I'm really loving. Plus, it has a TON of ISO settings. Most cameras have ISO 100, 200, 400, 800... where the A6000 has 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800... so a lot more ISO options in between full stops. Other camera might also have this, not 100%, but it's really nice to have and nail a "perfect" exposure.

I do just fine shooting down at and below 1/8 by hand, maybe it's just me.

depends if stabilized or not.  1/8 becomes 1/64 with 3 stops of stablization.

otherwise it's just you :P

[HPE1000]

I used just light from my PC monitor in a pitch black room

This is still my preferred method and how most of my favourite personal shots were taken.   

any tips on ISO and shutter speed values? i'm a noob so feel free to give further advices.

ISO as low as you can. Higher ISO = more grainy pictures. Different camera have different noise level performances. The Canon Rebel I'm using right now is decent up to around 800. The A6000 I have is decent up to around 3200, or 2 full stops better.

Shutter speed at least 1/60 if you're doing hand held shooting. With a tripod, just about any shutter speed will work. One tip is to do the 2 or 10 second timer so the camera isn't shaken when pressing the shutter on a really long exposure.


If I'm shooting hand held, I set shutter speed to at least 1/60 first, aperture is wide as it gets (for the most part) and adjust ISO last to get a decent light level. If shooting tripod, ISO 100, aperture closed or open (depending on what I'm doing) and  adjust the shutter speed last to get a decent light level.

This.

In general, the three things that affect the exposure of a shot are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.  ISO and aperture affect the way the picture looks (graininess and depth of field, respectively), whereas (when shooting stationary objects) there is no difference between shutter speeds if the exposure turns out the same (AFAIK - happy to be corrected).
What that means for my shooting technique is I will set ISO and aperture to set spots depending on what I'm doing, and set shutter speed dependent on that (I relate this to degrees of freedom - set two, let the situation designate the third).  I use ISO as a step-change function for light levels.  Can't get enough light with ISO 100?  Bump it up to 200 and try again.  This is clunky, and with experience I've learned what to expect to be able to use for given situations.  Aperture I set to whatever I'm looking for, and how shallow a depth of field I want.  This depends entirely on what shot you're going for.
If I'm feeling like doing less work, I'll put my camera in Aperture Priority mode, which sets shutter speed automatically, and gives you control of aperture.  This essentially "auto fills" the shutter speed that will give roughly a "properly" exposed image, making life easier.  Otherwise, you would just pick the shutter speed for the exposure you want.

And as The_Beast mentioned, the rule of thumb is shutter speed no quicker than 1/60 for hand-held shots.  With a steady hand you can manage 1/30, but it's more sketchy.

In the specific case that I quoted and mentioned above, shutting off all the lights and using monitor lights gives me a really nice shade of white that I like (my room lights are yellowy).  It also forces an indirect light, rather than a flash or other spotlight (indirect flashes in non-dark rooms are also good, just not what I'm referring to  ).  So in this dark room, I can manage exposures of about 10 seconds or so, which give the effect I like.  It's not bright and "properly" exposed, like a product shot would be, it's more subdued and just seems more natural to me.  I really like that.

Here is one such shot:

Show Image

Poker II by HoffmanMyster, on Flickr

If you click to the image on flickr, you can see the EXIF data.  This one was a 4 second exposure.

Hope that helps at all, and if you have any other questions, I'm sure someone here would be happy to help!

No slower than 1/60 (1/30 is a slower shutter than 1/60), generally to get a decent, non blurry hand held shot.

If you're not fully conformable with full manual, do as HoffmanMyster said. Use shutter priority for hand held shooting (at least 1/60) and aperture priority for any tripod work.

Also, the auto ISO is WONDERFUL on the A6000. When going into auto mode, it allows you to pick your min (100) and max ISO (I try to stay under 3200). It's a feature I'm really loving. Plus, it has a TON of ISO settings. Most cameras have ISO 100, 200, 400, 800... where the A6000 has 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800... so a lot more ISO options in between full stops. Other camera might also have this, not 100%, but it's really nice to have and nail a "perfect" exposure.

I do just fine shooting down at and below 1/8 by hand, maybe it's just me.

depends if stabilized or not.  1/8 becomes 1/64 with 3 stops of stablization.

otherwise it's just you :P

My lens might have 3 stops then, because I don't think I am super human ;)

[Photekq]

Took some more tonight. The multicoloured reflections coming off the anodised aluminium is really beautiful. The second shot is as close as my lenses will take me

[Puddsy]

I'm too poor to afford a 360c and it bothers me.

I wish I was responsible enough to save money.

[HPE1000]

Took some more tonight. The multicoloured reflections coming off the anodised aluminium is really beautiful. The second shot is as close as my lenses will take me

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

So pretty

Bolt modded my m because I screwed it up really bad, pulled a bunch of springs and bent them. 10/10 Biggest waste of time by far, feel exactly the same as before but at least it's fixed and the cleanest it's ever been.


muh 360c chilling in queens right now

[Puddsy]

WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE QUEENS

[HPE1000]

WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE QUEENS

Take it you are close?  )

[Puddsy]

WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE QUEENS

Take it you are close?  )

I live in Brooklyn.

But I ****ing hate Queens.

I know boost has a skeldon, and he's a short walk away. Proximity is not the issue.

[The_Beast]

i prefer the 1/focal length for shutter speed (remember to adjust for crop factor).  this accounts for using telephoto lens where things get rough.

if you have an aspc camera (such as sony a6000), your crop factor is 1.5.

an a6000 with a 30mm lens should be set to 1/45 according to the formula.  i think that's a really safe speed; but you'll still occasionally mess up (so practice ).  at the moment, i can stabilize a 30mm at 1/30s 100% of the time.

during beach shots, i rarely find myself below 1/500s and up to 1/2000s sometimes (the sun is REALLY bright), all at 100iso.


also using your viewfinder further stabilizes the camera more (your face effectively becomes another hand holding things steady).  this lets you use a slower shutter speed and therefore reduce your iso.

the last thing i will say is that optically stabilized lens help alot.  you can go from 1/60 to 1/15 (generally) with the same amount of blur (hopefully none).  ALSO, it will make the image shake less as you're framing your picture (this is crucial if you're doing something like taking a pic of a statue on a highrise with a telephoto lens). note: i'm not quite sure this last point applies to dslrs.
 

I've heard both, 1/60 and 1/focal length, I tend to just go 1/60 but have pulled off decent hand held shots at 1/15 with ease.

[ComradeSniper]

Took some more tonight. The multicoloured reflections coming off the anodised aluminium is really beautiful. The second shot is as close as my lenses will take me

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Oh hey, your "Sys rq" printing gets lighter toward the bottom too. I assumed that was just a dyesub error on mine, but maybe it's something more common with 3116 sets?

Great pics, btw   

[Photekq]

Comrade, it's like that on every single dyesub board, don't worry

Of the four dyesub set I own, every one is like that [even my SAG set, which has black 'Sys Rq'] and all photos I've seen of dyesubs are like this too.

[ComradeSniper]

Comrade, it's like that on every single dyesub board, don't worry

Of the four dyesub set I own, every one is like that [even my SAG set, which has black 'Sys Rq'] and all photos I've seen of dyesubs are like this too.

Ah, okay. That makes me feel better  )

[The_Beast]

My friend is loaning me his 28-80mm F3.8 "one touch" macro lens as well as a 3x extension tube. The one touch zooms by pulling in or out and focuses by rotating. It also has a weird "macro" button that allow you to rotate to pick the zoom ratio between 1:4 and 1:8.

[JaccoW]

My friend is loaning me his 28-80mm F3.8 "one touch" macro lens as well as a 3x extension tube. The one touch zooms by pulling in or out and focuses by rotating. It also has a weird "macro" button that allow you to rotate to pick the zoom ratio between 1:4 and 1:8.

Show Image

Soligor?