Newbie aperture question & landscape techniques

[chris6500]

All,

 

I recently purchased a Sony Alpha camera and have a 18-105 mm F4 zoom lens.  I want to learn how to do aperture priority photography correctly for landscapes. 

 

So here is the first question.  If I manually set the zoom ring on the lens to any setting, it will maintain a constant aperture of F4.  However, if I use aperture priority mode and adjust the dial on the top of the camera I can adjust the aperture - I can adjust this down to F22.  I don't understand how this works as from what I can tell the sensor is right there next to the lens mount and I do not see a shutter or aperture.  Where is the aperture that is being adjusted and how does this relate to the F4 rating on the lens.  Is it correct to assume that the widest the lens can go is F4, but this aperture is stepped down to F22 inside the lens?  If so, are the stepped down apertures constant over the zoom ranges?  Sorry - probably a basic question, but I don't know the answer.

 

Here is my second newbie question.  In using aperture priority for landscape photography what are your techniques?  I used the camera in aperture priority mode and adjusted the dial for an ISO of 100, then snapped the pic.  I noticed a lot of landscape pics use ISO 100 settings which drove me to this.  However, after looking at the shots I found them to be a bit over exposed.  The few pics I took in auto mode came out decent, but I really need to improve my technique.

 

Is it better to use the Aperture priority and set my F-stop to say F7, then use the back dial to adjust ISO to 100 and let the camera do the work of making the exposure correct with the shutter speed?    If I want to change the exposure should I use exposure compensation or just play with the ISO dial?

 

I searched and Googled this topic but didn't find a consistent recommendation, so I'm here asking the experts what technique they would recommend for someone like me.

 

Thanks!

 

Chris

[Guest all8]

Try a Book!

 

google on this ...

 

Landscape Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

 

The advice in this book is going to be better than anything you get around here, and it will be well written, with clear explanations and pictures which show the theory in action.

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

You seem to be doing it about right. Your lens has a constant aperture of f4 which means that you can keep that while you're zooming, if you want. I looked at the DxO tests, which show that the lens is sharpest between f5.6 - f8.

 

When you shoot landscapes in daylight a setting of f8 may be good. So, basically you can set ISO to 100, use Aperture priority and set aperture to f8. After that the camera will measure the light and set the correct shutter speed. If the light is very bright, the camera may hit the maximum shutter speed (1/4000). Then your photos will be over-exposed and you have to set the aperture to a higher number. This lets in less light and lowers the shutter speed. Try not to go over f11 for normal photography because the lens loses sharpness at higher f-numbers.

 

These are some basic pointers. There are always variations and alternatives, such as using a neutral density filter. There are specific books on your camera. They explain what settings do and show picture examples. It's always a good investment when you're learning a new camera.

[Username]

`   

     

  

  

http://photocamel.com/forum/photography-talk/34942-photography-primer.html   

    

Great place to start. You'll have this forum for your Sony-specific 

questions and this other place that is more educational and useful. 

 

  

`    

[bennytan]

Hey, Chris!

 

Yes, theoretically, your lens will stay at a constant F/4 across the focal range. Most lenses do lose light transmission over the zoom range, but manufacturers don't publish that.

In live-view mode, your camera will force the lens' aperture to remain wide open while you're framing & focusing; likely, it's displaying a compensated image to give you an idea of how the final image will look (You can also assign this to a custom button). 

 

What this does, (for example, if you're shooting at F/22) is allow you to see a bright image on your monitor to focus correctly. The aperture will close down to your pre-set aperture when you release the shutter. This is why you don't see the aperture blades during live view mode as it's wide open.

 

 

 

Learn to use the different metering modes to help you expose. When shooting landscapes, sometimes you deal with a low sun, high contrast or shadowy areas that can throw off your camera's metering. Having a knowledge of the different metering modes will help you understand what your camera is trying to meter. Personally, I have mine set to 'spot' all the time, and I can simply pan my camera around to get a near-accurate reading of certain areas of my frame. Evaluative metering takes into account an average of different light values throughout your frame, which may or may not be helpful in different situations.

 

 

Lastly; the ISO setting is simply a digital gain adjustment that amplifies the signal as it is 'converted' within your image sensor. A lot of landscape shooters love to shoot at ISO 100 to minimize noise. If you're over-exposing, look to increase your shutter speed, stop down your aperture or use ND filters. There's no one-size-fits-all 'technique' for shooting landscapes - there are certain techniques and principles shooters have applied over time, but these aren't set in concrete law. Go out and shoot, experiment, and come back and show us your results!

 

All,

 

I recently purchased a Sony Alpha camera and have a 18-105 mm F4 zoom lens.  I want to learn how to do aperture priority photography correctly for landscapes. 

 

So here is the first question.  If I manually set the zoom ring on the lens to any setting, it will maintain a constant aperture of F4.  However, if I use aperture priority mode and adjust the dial on the top of the camera I can adjust the aperture - I can adjust this down to F22.  I don't understand how this works as from what I can tell the sensor is right there next to the lens mount and I do not see a shutter or aperture.  Where is the aperture that is being adjusted and how does this relate to the F4 rating on the lens.  Is it correct to assume that the widest the lens can go is F4, but this aperture is stepped down to F22 inside the lens?  If so, are the stepped down apertures constant over the zoom ranges?  Sorry - probably a basic question, but I don't know the answer.

 

Here is my second newbie question.  In using aperture priority for landscape photography what are your techniques?  I used the camera in aperture priority mode and adjusted the dial for an ISO of 100, then snapped the pic.  I noticed a lot of landscape pics use ISO 100 settings which drove me to this.  However, after looking at the shots I found them to be a bit over exposed.  The few pics I took in auto mode came out decent, but I really need to improve my technique.

 

Is it better to use the Aperture priority and set my F-stop to say F7, then use the back dial to adjust ISO to 100 and let the camera do the work of making the exposure correct with the shutter speed?    If I want to change the exposure should I use exposure compensation or just play with the ISO dial?

 

I searched and Googled this topic but didn't find a consistent recommendation, so I'm here asking the experts what technique they would recommend for someone like me.

 

Thanks!

 

Chris

[DanArt]

the more you increase ( close ) Apreture the less light you allow into the camera. Think of that darkness around animations.

The more you decrease ( open ) the apreature the more light you let in.

 

The apreature allows for more light to enter especially when you are close to a subject. The less light

means more detail. Especiall when the subject is far away. The more light does not mean more detail

on the fly. It means details are ommited such as goose bumps, to wrinkles.

 

For me I  use the S mode now. As the lens adjusts it's own apreature and I am used to using the MF lens.However by adjusting the apreature via the camera your giving yourself more work. Unless their is a valid reason. That is my opinion.

 

Another issue ( a very important issue ) is dept of feild. For me so far this increases with the shutter speed being slowed down. Allowing for those unatural biblical images of colors. How would we increase those colors by changing the apreature without adjusting the iso?

[jstevensphoto]

Lenses will vary but I find most of my lenses, both Sony and Nikon, are sharpest at around F8 or F9.   If you have plenty of light, sunny day, I would start there.   If you don't have movement in your shot, should work fine and in A mode, you will get a fairly fast SS.  Good luck.

[Username]

There used to be a maxim "f:8 and be there" ... as 

the basic fomula for successful photos. It still rings 

true. IOW, f:8 is the default. Vary from f:8 if there's 

some reason to vary ... but if no reason arises, you 

default to the default :-)   

   

Don't worry about metering patterns. Use the least 

complex pattern, which could be average or center 

weighted, whenever you have the luxury of time to 

check your playback. Stick to just one pattern, then 

shoot-and-chimp. That is the best light meter ever 

available but is not quick. All other methods are for 

automation for people in a hurry. Landscape is not 

done in a hurry.   

   

The most interesting light is often close to the end 

or beginning of the day, and so is not always of an  

abundant quantity. IOW, you need a tripod.  

    

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

   

You have an excellent lens, but an adapter and an 

old manually operated lens can help you learn how 

photography works. Cost is around $50 to $100. An 

old lens WILL show you its aperture blades. OTOH 

the reason you can never see the shutter is that the 

sensor doubles as the viewfinder. When the sensor 

switches to exposure mode, a shutter covers it and 

then opens and closes to make the exposure. But it 

immediately disappears [opens] to return to viewing 

mode. If you look into your open lens mount you're 

looking at a camera in viewing mode, so no shutter.  

 

Always look UP into your lens mount, never down. 

There is stuff falling from your face and hair all the 

time but it's invisibly small stuff ... til it lands on your 

sensor and get magnified 10X to 40X or more :-(