New Camera...New things to learn

[eilean]

This is interesting. I took my first set of pictures with the Nikon D50 yesterday. I used the Auto focus .... is this a cheat?

[eilean]

Today I tried something different

[eilean]

and another one...close up

[Shadowman]

Nothing wrong with using Auto Focus. What happened on second image (flowers), did you miss focus? There is some sharpness on flowers mid-center but to me the DOF is a bit distracting.

Nice composition on the first image, a bit dark (land mass) on monitor currently viewing on.

Rings, nicely captured.

Welcome to the fun!

[eilean]

Don't know what happened with the flowers. Looks like I messed up the flowers..will try again and see what I did wrong. DOF - depth of field? Not sure how I change that. I took a lot of the rings. Wanted to get to the hallmark and one of those turned out not too badly.
The loch picture was taken on a really gloomy dark day.

[Geoff F]

Flowers are so difficult to get perfect, Eilean.

You need to carefully arrange the display so there are some sharply focused whole blooms in the foreground. A narrow aperture gives more focus depth so shooting with Aperture Priority will prove helpful. But watch the shutter speed and Iso as well. A tripod may be needed.

Get some good but not excessively harsh light. Direct sunlight often causes problems with over exposure areas.

Meter around the scene and set the camera manually or use sufficient exposure compensation to avoid any over bright areas.

Your first image has a wide brightness range so if taking just a single shot instead of a merge of different exposures (HDR) you will have to accept some loss in the coverage levels. This has created a scene which is a bit dark in places, but better to have that than over exposure.

You might be able to adjust this a little with editing but you don't really want to lose anything from that dramatic sky; so that makes everything more complicated.

All in all though, I can accept those darker areas without too much concern.

In this case, the auto setting has worked well enough but be willing to experiment with other alternatives like Aperture Priority for more control. Or Shutter Priority if there is any fast action in the scene.

[chauncey]

Do not forget to peruse our excellent tutorial section for help with the various terms that we use.

[eilean]

Thank you - browsing the tuition items....Hope I understand the processes...I will be back asking questions....

[eilean]

Thanks for taking the time to look at my pictures...I took loads of point and shoot on holiday in Seattle recently and when I was offered the Nikon on my return I jumped at the chance of trying something for myself....

[Benjy]

Eilean,enjoy the journey,have fun...

[eilean]

Thank you!

[Saorsa]

I like the loch. The mist gives depth to the hills. I also like the unconventional aspect ration.

[Barbara Ponder]

Nice shots, Enjoy the new camera!

[AlwaysOnAuto]

eilean, I'd suggest you do some experimenting with the D50 to help you understand how it focuses. I think your flower shot is nice, it'd be better if the camera had focused correctly. I don't think it did because it couldn't 'see' enough contrast at the spot the focus point was looking at.
Set up a target that has some contrasting colors/lines in it. Could be anything handy. Point the focus area at one of the spots that has a distinct line going thru the focus point. Then take a picture with it pointing at an area that doesn't have a lot of contrast. I think you'll find the camera needs the contrast to find focus. I know my D80 did. When I first got it I couldn't get it to focus at all. Then I learned that all it needed was some contrast to compare. My example was taking a picture of a car door. Focusing on the center of the door would produce a fuzzy picture. As soon as I moved the focus point to a shut line, wa la, I had a perfectly focused picture!

Just trying to help out. I think you'll like the D50 better than the P&S once you get to know it.

[eilean]

Thanks for the encouragement...I always enjoyed snapping! Now I want to do more!

[eilean]

Thank you ...

[IzzieK]

I like the first shot, Eilean...It suits me well to understand what I am looking at. Recently I had posed some flower shots and I was struggling so I am not going to comment on yours. DOF means Depth of Field...you change your aperture so that you can have more DOF. If you have any questions on terminologies, the easiest way is to google the word or phrase and add the word "photography" at the end so you have a lot of choices to consider depending on your understanding of the subject on hand. Some blogs or articles can be overwhelming...we've all been through this stage so you are not alone. Share with us your journey some more...

Nice to see you posting and commenting on other members' post too.

[JBW]

Welcome to the club. As far as I am aware there is no such thing as a 'cheat' in this passion. But there are lots and lots of skills, tricks, widgets and such that allow a photographer to end up with some beautiful expressions of what they see.

Have fun!