Canon EOS Rebel 300D

[Mike McCarty]

Also, your new camera has given you the gift of additional ISO power. If you bump the ISO up to the 600 range you will find that your shutter speed has increased sufficiently to stop the small movements. Try this.

[Elizabeth Schott]

Mike I don't think anyone told Mary that a long lens would take care of blurring. I mentioned distortion and I think it would be tough to shoot a portrait figure without one in the size of studios we all seem to have.

Mary I learned on my last shoot that I am cropping the age group at 8 or 9 years old for shooting indoors. I am not going to invest in a elaborate lighting system, thus the little guys will blur, I don't think Mike was talking about shooting indoors with an ISO of 600.

I think you should price out what the lenses cost and see if it works in your budget. You'll use it, so it wouldn't be a waste. I don't put my shorter lens on much. I don't see a real difference in the "light" allowance for my lenses to make that determine a decision like yours.

It was lovely talking with you today. I love to hear a southern accent every now and then!

[Mike McCarty]

I don't think Mike was talking about shooting indoors with an ISO of 600.

That IS what I was suggesting. It's these higher ISO's that make shooting in lower light possible. But, increasing the ISO number is only a means to increase the shutter speed.

If the blurring is caused from either camera shake, or from subject movement, and not some inability of the camera to focus in low light, then it is a faster shutter speed that will win the day.

The following is an excerpt from this "ISO experiment" thread:

http://forum.portraitartist.com/showthread.php?t=4472

My camera has a range of ISO settings from 200 to 1600. I re-shot the above using the following ISO settings. The shutter speed was correspondingly selected by the camera in portrait mode, all at aperture 4.5:

ISO 200 shutter speed 100
ISO 400 shutter speed 200
ISO 1250 shutter speed 800
ISO 1600 shutter speed 1000

As the ISO goes up so goes the shutter speed and your ability to ward off the blurrs. Of course you only want enough speed to get the job done. If you can get your shutter speed up around the 100 range you should be OK. However, with a squirmy kid I like to have more of a cushion. I would shoot for a SS of at least 150-200 with young kids.

With my Nikon I can set it to "Auto ISO." I can pick a minimum SS and the camera will automatically adjust up the ISO until it achieves the minimum desired SS. I don't know if your camera has this, it might. I think your camera will produce a quality image at these higher ISO's. Not true with the point and shoots. They only go to 400 ISO. check out the quality of the images shot at very high ISO's at the above link.

If you shoot young kids at a SS of less than 100 you will get very spotty results. I think your shot of the doll tells a lot.

[Elizabeth Schott]

Sorry Mike a blond moment.

I was thinking ISO - shutter speed. Duh! I totally forgot this camera had the ability to change this, so that's an even bigger duh! It also looks like it doesn't have problems with noise until you set the ISO for 800.

Hey this why you are the photography moderator!

[Kimberly Dow]

The only setting I have really learned to use on the camera so far is the manual P mode and then I change the white balance accordingly.

This whole ISO is greek to me, BUT - I have been in low light where an increase in shutter speed would keep the blurs away. Now that I think I get what you all are talking about - can someone tell me how to change the shutter speed on mine? Without changing the rest of the settings?

Thanks!

[Terri Ficenec]

Originally Posted by Kimberly Dow

Now that I think I get what you all are talking about - can someone tell me how to change the shutter speed on mine? Without changing the rest of the settings?

Thanks!

Hi Kim... This is new to me too, but I've been playing with it since reading these comments this afternoon. Changing the ISO works just the same way as changing the WB. The ISO button is the same as the 'up arrow' (like the WB button is the down button), just hold the up (ISO) button down and turn the little dial gear at the top to adjust the ISO. I wish I'd understood this sooner!

[Mike McCarty]

can someone tell me how to change the shutter speed on mine? Without changing the rest of the settings?

Kim,

That little dial on the top of your camera just to the right of the viewfinder should have one setting marked "T" (Time). If you place the dial to this setting you will be in shutter speed priority.

Notice that if you select this mode you can then dial in the shutter speed up or down. But it's not that simple. The shutter speed and the aperture (the hole that opens up and lets light into the camera) are dynamically linked. When you change the shutter speed the aperture will be changed as well. It is the combination of these two components for any given amount of light that gives the proper exposure.

I apologize for the following, the question was not that complicated. I just have to get this out of my system.

Let's assume that your subject and scene has "X" amount of light. The camera evaluates that scene and based on the sum of all it's settings produces a shutter speed / aperture combination which will satisfy those settings and produce what it thinks is a balanced exposure. In other words -- how wide shall I open my shutter (aperture) and how long shall I leave it open (shutter speed).

If you then come along and say that you're going to take your shutter speed and increase it by "Y" amount, the camera says fine, if you are going to give me less "Time" to gather the light that I need I'm going to increase the size of my aperture, which will let more light in and thus bring the exposure back into balance. No problem -- until you make a request of increased shutter speed (which is really a reduction of time) that requires an opening (aperture - 2.8, 4.5, 8 ... 22) that the lens cannot physically produce. What the camera then tells you is -- you can take this picture, but, I can't open wide enough with this short a period of time to produce a balanced exposure. Your little meter inside the viewfinder will begin to indicate an underexposed condition. Whew.

You can also go through this same exercise in the "A" aperture priority mode. I won't put you through that. But, each has it's own reason and purpose for being.

I don't think that's the best way to manage shutter speed for our purposes. I think the best way to manage shutter speed is through the ISO setting. By increasing the ISO you can increase the shutter speed and leave the aperture alone. I believe that the EOS Rebel will produce a usuable image at 800 ISO. But, you should only increase the ISO until you get the speed you need and no more. If you don't have enough light to to produce a decent shutter speed with 800 ISO you should wait until tomorrow.

Most of us know when we are in those low light situations. There are actually precious few things that I change when I go out with my camera. One thing I'm always considering is the light that I will be encountering. The way I have figured out how to manage that light is through the ISO setting.

All this has been learned(?) through years of trial and error, not out of an experts book or in an experts class. If someone has a better way to do it I'd sure be ready to listen.

[Mary Sparrow]

Very, very, very slowly, I think this is trying to sink in.

That long winded explantation that you needed to get out, was just what I needed.