Handheld Light Meters

When reading through the free online course I have written about in one of my previous posts I started thinking that maybe I must get a handheld light meter to use to get better exposure on my photos.  I thought before that it is not really necessary because of the built-in light meter which the Nikon D50 already has, but then came across this link:  http://www.shutterbug.com/content/handheld-light-meters-are-they-still-important-serious-photography

I am definitely looking into investing in an incident light meter.  Too often I'm disappointed by the exposure on the pictures I take.  I am not 100 % confident that I fully understand how the histograms work yet, so I think that using a handheld meter to get the correct exposure will greatly improve the quality of the pictures I take.

Interesting free online photography course

Before enrolling for the course that I am currently busy with I had a look online for some tips on taking better photos and came across this website:

http://bestphotolessons.com/

I have read through some of it and really learned a lot from it.  I never quite understood how the Histograms worked on digital cameras and this shed some light on the topic for me:  http://bestphotolessons.com/lessons/digital-camera-histograms/

It would be interesting to go back to previously taken shots to see which of the histograms shows that my pictures are exposed correctly and which needs some work!

My Equipment - Cokin Filters

When I first bought my Nikon F75 I was very interested in the special effects that can be created using different filters.  Something that seemed particularly interesting to me was the various Cokin filters (square ones) you can use by simply sliding them into an attachment ring that you fit onto your lens.

I loved playing around with them and seeing the results when using it.  Below is a picture of some of the filters I bought at the time.

I have used them only on my film camera and not on my digital Nikon D50 yet, since you can basically do a lot with photoshop anyway.  I thought that there is no point in using it on the digital camera until I found this on the Cokin website:

http://www.cokin.co.uk/pages/digital.htm

I will definitely try these out on my D50 soon and then hopefully be able to post some pictures on here. With the rainy weather we have had lately, I would love to try out the sepia filter as I have read a while ago that Sepia photos work well in wet weather.

The plan is to try out some of these filters on the weekend.  

One filter I always wanted and am planning to get is one of these:  http://www.cokin.co.uk/pages/effects3.htm

I know I can do this on photoshop, but it will take me ages to create the same effect.

Time Management

As I've mentioned in my first post my time is very limited and I need to find time to do the photography course I have enrolled for.  So I found a solution to have at least 40 minutes each morning and afternoon on weekdays to spend some time to study whichever module I am busy with.  As mentioned I work full day 5 days a week.  I travel by bus and this takes ±1 hour to work and ±1 hour back home.  It usually is very quiet on the bus so it would be ideal to just go online then to do some studying.

We looked around at different tablets and notebook-type laptops which I could possibly use to do this.  For some reason none of the tablets would open the actual pages of the modules so I had to settle for a notebook with a 3g stick instead.  I wanted to go for something very small as I would have to carry it around from and to the bus so settled for the gigabyte Q2006 Netbook.  (See the link below).

http://www.computermania.co.za/index.php?option=com_flippingbook&book_id=1&Itemid=73

Now all I need to do is to purchase a new sim card and databundle for the 3g stick and I will be able to go online while I'm commuting to work and back!  I'm really excited to make some progress with this course.

Course update

I finally found time this week to go through the first module of the photography course and although I have not read through everything yet, what I've learned so far is really interesting and made me think that I really want more lenses for my camera!  To be more specific, I would love a prime telephoto lens as well as a prime macro lens.  Because the telephoto lens is so heavy, the newer lenses have image stabilization built in, but it is still best to use a tripod where possible.  Prime Macro lenses can take close-ups with a subject ratio of higher than 1:1.  I love taking pictures of flowers or little insects of anything similar and this type of lens will be perfect.  The image quality on a prime lens is better than for example a zoom lens with macro capability.  The quality of lens you are using has a big influence on your picture quality, so the better the lens, the better your picture quality!

Here are some reviews on the prime lenses:

Telephoto:  http://lenshero.com/lenses/prime-telephoto-lens-by-nikon
Macro:  http://lenshero.com/lenses/prime-macro-lens-by-nikon

I am so excited to getting these types of lenses so I can try it out for myself!  That is the problem when I do research on equipment!  There is always something better out there that I want to try for myself!

My Equipment - Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 18 - 70mm 1:3.5 - 4.5GED

I wish I could give you a progress report on the course I have enrolled for, but due to working late a couple of times and very limited time for the past week or so, I have only just started reading through the first module.  I'm hoping to at least finish reading through it tonight if time permits.

So in the meantime I will tell you about the lens I got as part of the package when I bought my Nikon D50, the AF-S NIKKOR 18 - 70mm 1:3.5 - 4.5GED.  It is a standard zoom lens and is fairly small in size.  It is not ideal to use this lens on your film camera as it will create a semi-circular image and your photo will have dark corners.  You could however use your Nikon film lens on the D50, but keep in mind that you will have to multiply the focal length with 1.6 hence a 28 - 100mm film camera lens will become a 44.8 - 160mm lens on your digital camera.  (You cannot use any film camera lens on any digital lens.  It is best to do some research or speak to your dealer first).

Here are two reviews on this lens which I found interesting:
http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/235-nikkor-af-s-18-70mm-f35-45-g-if-ed-dx-review--test-report

http://www.bythom.com/1870lens.htm

Until next time...

My Equipment - Lens: Nikon AF 28-100mm 3.5 - 5.6G

When I purchased my Nikon F75 it came with a Nikon AF 28-100mm f3.5 - 5.6G standard zoom lens.  Although probably not the best zoom lens to buy, it is ideal if you are on a tight budget as it offers flexibility between wide-angle (28mm) and telephoto (100mm).  Another advantage of course is that it is lightweight.  The aperture control is set from the camera body only which to me makes it slightly more user friendly.
There is an interesting review on this lens (see http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/AFNikkor/AF28100mm/)