I just got a bunch of camera gear

**NedLudd** · 04-12-2018, 02:13 AM

Went to a camera workshop the other night and it was a good crash course on ISO, f-stop, aperture speed and how to adjust them. It was a bit too slow tbh and the instructor spent 2/3 of the class just showing people where functions were, so I still want to attend another less basic class. Still, I got shown how to do long exposure where someone uses flashlights to make words and shapes, which was fun.

The mirror is ridiculous filthy. It was like that when I got it, but I think I just made it worse when I tried to clean it. There's no self-cleaning function on the camera, unfortunately. Even just blowing it with air doesn't seem to do anything. I probably need to take it to the shop at this point. Here's an example. I'm able to edit it out but it's a pain in the ass to do.

Spoiler: Filth

Also, not really fitting but I figured I'd dump some pics in here I took in the last year or so. I do somewhat miss how aggressively photogenic New York is. There's tons of beautiful pictures to be had in Colorado, but you have to go to them, they don't tend to come to you.

Spoiler: Random

**Hephaestus** · 04-12-2018, 02:35 AM

Originally Posted by Lud

The mirror is ridiculous filthy. It was like that when I got it, but I think I just made it worse when I tried to clean it. There's no self-cleaning function on the camera, unfortunately. Even just blowing it with air doesn't seem to do anything. I probably need to take it to the shop at this point. Here's an example. I'm able to edit it out but it's a pain in the ass to do.

That's not how it works. The mirror sends an image to you to see, like a periscope, but flips out of the way for the picture to be taken. It's either the lens, or the sensor. Try swapping for a different lens, or taking a picture without the lens. If you get the same grit, it's on the sensor.

Might want to check and see what the cost of cleaning the sensor will be before diving in and attempting it yourself, but if you want to, the above video includes instructions to attempt it. Best of luck.

**NedLudd** · 04-12-2018, 03:52 AM

Originally Posted by Hephaestus

That's not how it works. The mirror sends an image to you to see, like a periscope, but flips out of the way for the picture to be taken. It's either the lens, or the sensor. Try swapping for a different lens, or taking a picture without the lens. If you get the same grit, it's on the sensor.

Might want to check and see what the cost of cleaning the sensor will be before diving in and attempting it yourself, but if you want to, the above video includes instructions to attempt it. Best of luck.

Thanks! Yeah, I ruled lenses out. I'm going to see what the camera shop quotes me for cleaning, I'm a bit nervous trying to do it myself. I imagine cleaning the stuff is cheaper than replacing it if I fuck the whole thing up.

**NedLudd** · 05-08-2018, 01:00 AM

I managed to clean the camera myself after getting a cleaning kit. I was really shocked when I did it right on the first go, was sure I'd fuck something up.

I'm frustrated by how my phone handles color so much better than my camera. I've tried adjusting white balance, but I'm not really sure how else to make it comparable. The top is from my camera, the bottom is my phone. Notice how much better my phone handles the foreground colors while preserving the colors in the sky. One difference I guess is that my phone took the picture at f/1.4 whereas my camera can't handle lower than f/4.5, but I don't know if that'd affect the colors.

Spoiler: DSLR v. Phone

Otherwise I'm still having fun with it. Some other recent photos

Spoiler: Photos

**Hephaestus** · 05-08-2018, 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by Lud

I managed to clean the camera myself after getting a cleaning kit. I was really shocked when I did it right on the first go, was sure I'd fuck something up.

I'm frustrated by how my phone handles color so much better than my camera. I've tried adjusting white balance, but I'm not really sure how else to make it comparable. The top is from my camera, the bottom is my phone. Notice how much better my phone handles the foreground colors while preserving the colors in the sky. One difference I guess is that my phone took the picture at f/1.4 whereas my camera can't handle lower than f/4.5, but I don't know if that'd affect the colors.

The smaller the f-stop, the bigger the aperture, so the more light is coming in. That's why your colors are so much richer: moar light.

I'm really curious why your camera isn't giving you a better f-stop. There's probably some other setting that is modulating your lowest available f-stop number for some reason, like maybe the ISO is wrong or something. Try setting for a higher or lower ISO and see what that does to your f-stop range.

**NedLudd** · 05-08-2018, 01:42 AM

Originally Posted by Hephaestus

The smaller the f-stop, the bigger the aperture, so the more light is coming in. That's why your colors are so much richer: moar light.

I'm really curious why your camera isn't giving you a better f-stop. There's probably some other setting that is modulating your lowest available f-stop number for some reason, like maybe the ISO is wrong or something. Try setting for a higher or lower ISO and see what that does to your f-stop range.

OK, that figures. And yeah, I misspoke. The bottle neck isn't the camera, it's the lenses. I don't have any lenses that go below 3.5. ISO doesn't seem to play a role.

**Hephaestus** · 05-08-2018, 01:53 AM

Originally Posted by Lud

OK, that figures. And yeah, I misspoke. The bottle neck isn't the camera, it's the lenses. I don't have any lenses that go below 3.5. ISO doesn't seem to play a role.

Ah! That makes sense. Lens selection is tricksy. Fortunately, there's a new perfect lens for pretty much every possible situation and distance! At a mere $70k, you'll no longer worry about banging up your camera body on your excursions, and it's light as a feather at just under 15lbs!

Yeah, I ain't getting one either--and not just because I use Nikon, though that is a great reason.

Oh, grats on the successful sensor cleaning! Well done!

**NedLudd** · 05-08-2018, 02:20 AM

Originally Posted by Hephaestus

Ah! That makes sense. Lens selection is tricksy. Fortunately, there's a new perfect lens for pretty much every possible situation and distance! At a mere $70k, you'll no longer worry about banging up your camera body on your excursions, and it's light as a feather at just under 15lbs!

Yeah, I ain't getting one either--and not just because I use Nikon, though that is a great reason.

Oh, grats on the successful sensor cleaning! Well done!

I was going to buy a new Tesla or put a downpayment on a house but nah that looks better!

Although tbh most decent lenses out there might as well be the same. Not that I can't afford them, but there's so much other shit I need to buy that a pricey camera lens is far down the list. Although I'm sure a bit of research could find something reasonable