My cat... help!

[learjet035]

after 3 days, 400 shots, and a new lens that hits f1.8 I was finally able to take a close up without a tripod that wasn't blurry. If you guys have any suggestions on how to improve on future shots, or how to make these type of shots better/ easier please let me know. I am just learning about everything. I used some manual shutter @ 1/13 it came out dark, but with some levels in photoshop this was what I got. Thanks for any input.

[jfrancho]

Add 1 tbs. catnip.
Mix thoroughly.
May need gentle beating.
Wait one hour.
Take photograph.
Works everytime with my cat.

[smittymike19]

this came out pretty cool.

Here are some tips to help.
1, get the cat near some natural light from a window, it will help with the blurring issue tremendously.
2. bump up the iso on your camera.
I try to avoid the flash at all costs, and use natural light. since you see your cat at all times of the day, wait till he/she is in some good lighting (near window) and snap away.

Like i siad first though, i like this one alot.

[Titus213]

Stand on the cat's tail (allows for shots straight down of the cat tearing a hole in your leg). Actually that is much more effective with a video camera since the action and noise can get rather intense.

Crank up the ISO? This shot looks pretty good.

[smittymike19]

Stand on the cat's tail (allows for shots straight down of the cat tearing a hole in your leg). Actually that is much more effective with a video camera since the action and noise can get rather intense.

Crank up the ISO? This shot looks pretty good.


they were asking how to get less blurry shots. if they are having a problem with blur, cranking up the iso will allow faster shutter speeds.

[jfrancho]

If you are shooting at f/1.8, I'd wager that your shots are blurry due to slow shutter speed and an extremely shallow DOF - i.e. you are missing the target focus point, the eyes. You will want to try a higher aperture setting, like 2.8 or 3.2. What ever you can do to get the shutter speed near the focal length will help too. Whether that be natural light, bounced flash, higher ISO, is for you decide.

[learjet035]

thanks for all the input. Is there a special amount of ISO increase or just wing it. I glad it's digital otherwise I'd be spending millions on development. =)
Also whats about the slowest shutter speed you can safely hand hold @ without geting shake? Gues I have to invest in one of those IS lenses somday...more $$$$

[jfrancho]

That varies from user to user. I get moderately soft images at 1/30 with my 50mm. They are real crisp at 1/80. A general rule that many use is 1/(focal length). So, 1/50 should give reasonable sharpness on a 50mm. Another thing to keep in mind is that images made with wide aperture lenses tend to appear soft at wide open due to narrow DOF. For instance, my 50mm f/1.4 is dramatically sharper at f/3.2 than at f/1.4. Likewise, the kit lens doesn't demonstrate moderate sharpness until about f/8. Hence the need for abundant available light, and maybe a tripod. I'm not so sure the IS lens would be appropriate for cat portraits, though since this feature is usually available on telephoto lenses.

[smittymike19]

1. as far as iso, you have the xt so you are in good shape. supposedly it handles noise better at the higher iso's than the 300 d. I just got mine so i havent played with it yet. Give it a shot and find out. ITS FREE!! woo hoo. I would suspect you can go up to 800 without alot of noise. Also, there are a couple of noise reduction programs you can run your picture through if it is too noisy for you. I havent used them yet either, so I cant tell you anything on them.
2. Jfranco mentions the 1/focal length rule. He said at 50 mm you need to be at 1/50th of a second. I would like to add that your 50/1.8 lens is actually 80mm in standard camera terms (for which the rule applies), so you need to be at 1/80 sec using that guideline. Though at 1/50 sec and a still cat, you should be able to get it pretty sharp.
I also would like to say that i would recommend natural light over flash. i have yet to see a flash picture that can rival natural light. check out my cat pic (cheap cat trick). i think its pretty sharp. It was taken near a patio door at about 4pm, with a bunch ofsunlight streaming in. i actually ahd to turn down my iso, as i was blinking 1/4000 (the camera could shut fast enough to get the proper exposure).

[jfrancho]

I don't see where the c-factor applies to shutter speed. This has been discussed ad nauseum with no general consensus on this forum. Just do a search, and I'm sure you'll find some enlightening posts. I think the fact that you say 1/50 should be ok for a 50mm supports the 1/(focal length) recommendation. The only real answer is up to you to discover; this is only a reliable starting point.

[smittymike19]

well it is true, a 50 mm lens ona digital xt is really a 80mm lens (on a film camera) so its hard to see how that is arguable. At any rate this rule is just a starting point anyway. As you need to factor in distance from subject, speed of the subject, angle of movement, etc, as these all play a role in blur. Standing in the pit at a nascar race trying to capture still images of the passing cars i really dont think you will be successful with the 1/focal length rule. Follow the rule, use 1/80sec as shutter speed, and experiment from there. Like I said before , you did the most expensive part by buying the equipment. now the cheap part is experimenting as you can see your results instantly. Good luck.

[learjet035]

Awesome, all great info. I'm off to try that 1/50 + 1/80 and see how it comes out. Thanks again!

[demstech]

awesome picture.. i salute your efforts

[jfrancho]

I think you are posting a controversial response just bait me into commenting, but I will anyway, then I am done:
No, actually, it is like what it is, a 50mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera. Since the the sensor is smaller, the image is cropped, as compared to 35mm film. The equivalency formula (1.6*focal length) to 35mm film format is for field of view reference. Much like an 80mm lens frames like 50mm on a medium format. The medium format camera doesn't magically transform the lens to a 50mm. The focal length is still what it is, and I don't see what this has to do with shutterspeed. Especially, since, like you pointed out, 1/50 would be a good place to start. Bottom line, what ever you can do to get a properly exposed image to your liking will be the BEST technique.

[smittymike19]

Awesome, all great info. I'm off to try that 1/50 + 1/80 and see how it comes out. Thanks again!
make sure you re-post and let us see how you made out! good luck.

[smittymike19]

The crop factor does come into play with determining acceptable shutter speeds.
The amount of camera shake depends on two things, the apparent movement between the subject and the image on the film plane and the limit of sharpness of the image. The apparent movement is determined by the actual radial deflection (the amount the camera shakes) and the focal length of the lens An increase in either of the two leads to more apparent movement. Next is the apparent sharpness or sharpness threshold The apparent sharpness is defined by the size of the circle of confusion and the size of the negative or sensor. Smaller sensors require a smaller circle of confusion to have equivalent apparent sharpness That's why a large format camera can produce a sharper image than a 35mm camera even though most large format lenses have less physical resolving power than most good 35mm lenses so as you decrease the size of the sensor, you must decrease the size of the circle of confusion to maintain the same apparent sharpness so the limits of the apparent movement between camera and subject become narrower as the format becomes smaller and although we don't necessarily treat subject movement the same as camera shake from a photographer's perspective, from a physical perspective they're the same thing. (text borrowed). The bottom line here is that holding the camera steady is more important than focal distance. In essence, user error plays more of a role than the actual focal length. You need to detrminen fro yourself what your greatest distance is with no shake and go from there..

[jfrancho]

You are using apples physics to prove an orange theory.

[smittymike19]

hows that? the shutter speed is used to stop camera shake. that is the main factor in blurry pics other than motion. If you are having trouble understanding (as i realize this can be confusing to the average person), pm me, ill be mor ethan happy to explain. I feel bad as this post was hijacked. Sorry.

[MazerRakhm]

Add 1 tbs. catnip.
Mix thoroughly.
May need gentle beating.
Wait one hour.
Take photograph.
Works everytime with my cat.

:lol: Deffinitely wait the hour though, my cat at least is more prone to attack the camera for the first 20 minutes or so.

[jfrancho]

hows that? the shutter speed is used to stop camera shake. that is the main factor in blurry pics other than motion. If you are having trouble understanding (as i realize this can be confusing to the average person), pm me, ill be mor ethan happy to explain. I feel bad as this post was hijacked. Sorry.

No thanks. I'm fine with being an average person. And I thought shutter speed was how long the shutter was open. Ignorance is bliss. Nixon.

[jfrancho]

:lol: Deffinitely wait the hour though, my cat at least is more prone to attack the camera for the first 20 minutes or so.If he attacks, you may need to fold.

[learjet035]

thanks for all the help! I have better idea about what's going on now with this thing. Since the cat is so black it autos the shutter way down, so I am left with 200 blurry shots. I finally got this one on manual @ 1/50 400 iso. Thanks again!
the second pic I added a bit of warming filter on PS.

[jfrancho]

I like it with or without the processing. Huge improvement! Great job. Even though they are the same pic, the processing changes the the whole mood. The first is my favorite of the two; I think it's the eyes that sells me here. You might try creating a mask, warming the scene, and bringing the original eyes back. That is nice looking cat, yuo've captured the essence of kitty nicely.

[learjet035]

Thanks for the input, here is the pic with your suggestions. I like it =)

[jfrancho]

Beautiful. His/her (I'm not sure you indicated) features remind me of my Siamese. Looks very calm, cool, collected, but ready to go at moments notice.

[C.S.I.]

External flash, and bouncing the light can help too, and make for some interestig shots....

[BDM]

Boy, can you imagine what it must be like to be a mouse and encounter that black critter? And by the way, my cat seems to have no interest in catnip and it has no apparent effect on him. But he does like beer . . . A half can will render him quite immobile for most of the night. I do not encourage his consumption but he is sneaky and gets into it when not constantly watched.

Bruce

[tumbleweed]

Wow, that looks fantastic! I have a black cat, too.....I'm going to have a go with the info. you used. Thanks!

[learjet035]

That's too funny, I'll have to try the beer thing. As far as flash, do you have any examples? I would love to see what you were able to do, I am thinking of making that my next purchase, something wireless. More Money Needed