Bit the bullet! Here are some shots with new 55-200mm VR. CC please.. again!

[cutsman]

My inexperience has led to me accidentally shooting these at ISO1600 today... oops! I got pretty upset at myself when I uploaded the photos and realized how noisy they were... I immediately checked the camera and what do you know, ISO1600... Oh well... at least now I've learned to check everytime before I start shooting.

Anyhow... at the advice of many on this forum, I bought the 55-200mm vr today and took it out around the neighbourhood to try it out (thanks to all who told me to get this). I love this lens and quickly realized that many of these shots would've been completely missed had I stuck with my 18-55mm.

So here are a few shots I took today. I'm trying to apply the advice you guys have given me in the past few weeks... as well as PP and crop a little less than I did before to actually push myself to make decent shots right out of the camera.... still not quite there yet... gotta keep trying Anyways as always... any constructive criticisms or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Zwhaler]

Might wanna update the sig

I just ordered a D40, I didn't wanna shell out 200 more for the X model, when I could just pay a little more than that and get the D80, so I can't wait for my camera to come! Beautiful shots, BTW.

 

[Kamera RAWr]

Love the second and third one down from the top. Nice composition

 

[reallybigafro]

Cutsman,

Great shots!! My sister and I each picked up used D50's and are liking the change from point and shoot to a DSLR. We both got the kit 18-55mm lense but are yearning for that 55-200mm you just picked up. Awsome shots.

 

[compuwar]

the camera.... still not quite there yet... gotta keep trying Anyways as always... any constructive criticisms or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Good shots, some fill flash would have helped the duck and first bird shot, but the duck shot is the only one that really suffers from it.

 

[cutsman]

Might wanna update the sig

I just ordered a D40, I didn't wanna shell out 200 more for the X model, when I could just pay a little more than that and get the D80, so I can't wait for my camera to come! Beautiful shots, BTW.

Thanks for the reminder! I just helped my friend buy her first DSLR this weekend. She got a D40. I gotta say that's a really nice camera... gotta love the portability of it and it still remains pretty comfortable to use. I'm sure you'll love it. My dad also purchased his first DSLR this weekend... a D80 with 18-135mm. Awesome camera... i'm a tad jealous of its backlit top LCD, 2.5" LCD, and 2 adjustment dials... but for myself at this point, I can't justify spending that much. Maybe in a couple years.....

Good shots, some fill flash would have helped the duck and first bird shot, but the duck shot is the only one that really suffers from it.

I'm not too familiar with fill flash or what it is used for. Could you elaborate on it? How would it help those shots you mentioned? Can fill flash be used with the pop-up flash on the camera or is an external flash required? Thanks!

Cutsman,

Great shots!! My sister and I each picked up used D50's and are liking the change from point and shoot to a DSLR. We both got the kit 18-55mm lense but are yearning for that 55-200mm you just picked up. Awsome shots.

Ya I'm loving the D50. If you have any reservations about the 55-200mm vr, take my word from someone who is also new to DSLR's. The 55-200mm is relatively affordable and once you start shooting with it, you'll realize just how limiting shooting only with the 18-55mm really is. Lots of fun and the VR is really cool. So far, my complaints with the 55-200mm vr is the long min. focusing distance and the speed of the AF... it's noticeably slower than the D50 kit lens. And the AF motor is much LOUDER as well. These are minor complaints though given what great value this lens is!

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

I've made your same mistake before, and as a result, I check every time now.

For ISO 1600, they honestly aren't as bad as I'd imagine. The Nikons really do kick butt at high ISOs.

Anyway, great shots! I really like the rabbits.

 

[cutsman]

I've made your same mistake before, and as a result, I check every time now.

For ISO 1600, they honestly aren't as bad as I'd imagine. The Nikons really do kick butt at high ISOs.

Anyway, great shots! I really like the rabbits.

I'll admit, I ran them through Noise Ninja as part of the PP I did.

It improved them slightly, but even straight out of the camera, the noise wasn't nearly as bad I was expecting...

 

[compuwar]

I'm not too familiar with fill flash or what it is used for. Could you elaborate on it? How would it help those shots you mentioned? Can fill flash be used with the pop-up flash on the camera or is an external flash required? Thanks!

If you have a back-lit subject, or need catchlights in the eyes, it fills in the shadows and gives you catch lights.

Nikon's matrix-balanced fill flash works very well, though I generally end up taking just a bit of power off the default setting with external flash.

On-camera flash will generally do it, though with ducks the flash being on the lens axis may produce glowing red eyes- you just have to try it and see.

You can generally do the same thing with a reflector, but it's a lot more difficult to manage in the field.

http://www.outbackphoto.com/the_bag/brad_fillflash/essay.html
http://www.shutterbug.com/techniques/lighting/1100sb_using/

 

[TheBonk]

How did you get a close shot at the ducks? Did you crop or get really close to them? Because your exif shows that you shot at 102mm. I tried shooting ducks at 300mm and I can't anything that good.

 

[cutsman]

If you have a back-lit subject, or need catchlights in the eyes, it fills in the shadows and gives you catch lights.

Nikon's matrix-balanced fill flash works very well, though I generally end up taking just a bit of power off the default setting with external flash.

On-camera flash will generally do it, though with ducks the flash being on the lens axis may produce glowing red eyes- you just have to try it and see.

You can generally do the same thing with a reflector, but it's a lot more difficult to manage in the field.

http://www.outbackphoto.com/the_bag/brad_fillflash/essay.html
http://www.shutterbug.com/techniques/lighting/1100sb_using/

I'll definitely have to play around and give this a try next time i'm out. Thanks for the help!

How did you get a close shot at the ducks? Did you crop or get really close to them? Because your exif shows that you shot at 102mm. I tried shooting ducks at 300mm and I can't anything that good.

I assume you're referring to the shot with the duck shaking the water off? I did do some cropping for this shot, mainly for composition. However, I was also pretty close to these guys... probably about 10 feet away... that might explain the 102mm. I can post the original later on in this evening if you'd like.

 

[TheBonk]

I assume you're referring to the shot with the duck shaking the water off? I did do some cropping for this shot, mainly for composition. However, I was also pretty close to these guys... probably about 10 feet away... that might explain the 102mm. I can post the original later on in this evening if you'd like.

10 feet away, that explains it. The ducks here never let me get close to them.

 

[compuwar]

10 feet away, that explains it. The ducks here never let me get close to them.

With birds, if you're not using a blind, you need to be around enough for them to get familiar with you and stay outside the zone where they're uncomfortable but in the direction they're moving in. If they approach you, they'll eventually get much closer than if you approach them. For some individuals, you also need to be not looking at them a lot- especially on approach, others just don't seem to mind. It's also generally easier in the early morning esp. when it's cold out.

 

[Abstract]

^^^ Got any tips on getting close to dragonflies?

 

[compuwar]

^^^ Got any tips on getting close to dragonflies?

Pretty-much the same advice, except they don't seem to mind you looking at them. Set up where they're likely to fly/land and wait for them to do so. A 300mm or longer lens on a tripod seems to help. A lot of times they seem to fly in a pattern, so if you don't scare them off, you can incrementally move closer while photographing the stuff around them (works for a lot of birds too.)

They'll fly the pattern and you can move a step or two every few minutes when they're further away and let them come closer. I've generally only had about two minutes to do so before they dart off elsewhere.

Now dragonflies in flight I can't help with, I've yet to nail a shot!

 

[joepunk]

I've always wanted to try to capture a dragonfly at my old Uni. I used to walk along a path through a field where in the spring/summer the dragonflies would come out.

 

[cutsman]

10 feet away, that explains it. The ducks here never let me get close to them.

hehe.. i tell you. The ducks and geese around here are fearless. I actually had to back away from them because they kept on trying to get closer and closer... and 55mm wasn't nearly wide enough for that.

.....plus I was afraid they were gonna eat my eyeballs....

 

[ob81]

Dude, nice work on all of these shots. I absolutely love the third shot. I will be taking up photography soon. Your camera looks ace.

 

[GoCubsGo]

ugh i'm hardly ever jealous but boy does that 55-200 vr make me a little green.