For those of us without Digicams....

[boywonder]

Considering I am still in the group that does not have a digicam (yet), I thought I would chime in for those who are still using film.



One thing to remember with film is that the higher the speed is, the grainer the pic is going to be. A few of the Maxima`s shots I scanned were taken with Kodak Max 800 speed film and you will notice a hint of grain in them.



If you are going to do car photography but don`t want a lot of grain in your pics, don`t go higher than 400 speed. Ideally, 100 or 200 speed will give you the best results.

[Bobby G]

If I recall correctly, most Kodak processing centers will put your pics on a CD for you for a small fee. This would be much better than scanning.

[boywonder]

You are correct, David. :xyxthumbs

[shaf]

I wouldn`t go lower than 200 speed film because the lower the speed the more light it requires...



I need a digicam!

[2wheelsx2]

Actually, I don`t think it`s too much of a problem, as we photograph still objects. Using 100 should be sufficient even in lower light, as long as you have a steady hand and you increase the exposure time. Or use a tripod.



Now, if you were to take action shots of yourself detailing, that you would be a different story!

[Jngrbrdman]

I just saw a Canon A40 at a WalMart in Lodi Californa for $248. That isn`t a sale price either. You can`t really do much better than that. I`ve been having fun with mine. You can change the shutter speed and film settings on the A40. Pretty dang spiffy. Its got several awesome features above and beyond my old A20. Definatly a camera that is worth twice the price. Unless you are getting a 4 or 5 mp camera then I don`t think you can do better than the Powershot series cameras. The A40 is a pretty darn nice one. That`s something to think about if you are looking for a good holiday present for yourself.



Thanks for the tip on the film speed, Prinz. :xyxthumbs That is always good info to have. There are a lot of people don`t understand that kind of stuff unless they were in photography in school or professionaly. I`m suprised how uncommon the knowledge is most of the time.

[boywonder]

No problem. That`s what we are here for.

[boywonder]

Originally posted by 2wheelsx2

Actually, I don`t think it`s too much of a problem, as we photograph still objects. Using 100 should be sufficient even in lower light, as long as you have a steady hand and you increase the exposure time. Or use a tripod.



Now, if you were to take action shots of yourself detailing, that you would be a different story!

You are correct. 100 is a good speed for portrait or still/daylight subjects.



But if it`s a low light situation, make sure the flash is up to the task. Even under certain daylight situations, you will need to use a small flash as fill-in to reduce harsher shadows.



Currently, I am using a Sunpak Bounce Flash with a guide Number of 100 (Able to cover distances up to 100 feet).

[boywonder]

Another thing that can affect the quality of a picture is the shutter speed. If the shutter speed is too fast for the prevailing light conditions, the picture might be a little dark and/or not show as much detail in shadows. If it`s too low, you might overexpose (dependent on light). Also, Shutter speed can affect depth of field.



For general daylight shots, 1/125 sec is the norm. For some chots, 1/60 is good for still shots with medium to low light or a daylight shot where you would like more detail. For an action shot, you might want to bump it to 1/250.



Most of my daylight shots are at 1/125.

[C. Charles Hahn]

yep I have some 1600 speed film sittin arround here that I bought... but thats for taking pics at a football game at night....



for film/camera setup when taking auto. pics, I use my canon AE-1 program on autoexposure and programmed shutter speed. This is on a tripod with 200-speed "Royal Gold" Kodak film.... seems to give me the best results... 100 can be shaky even when the tripod moves just a little bit (like if you move/something moves when the pic is being taken...)

[Scottwax]

PrinzII-shutter speed doesn`t affect the depth of the picture, apeture (the f-stop) does. The higher the apeture, the sharper the background will be. You can use a wider apeture to give a softer focus to the background. An apeture of F5.6 will have a less focused background than F16 will.



Everything else is good though :xyxthumbs



I majored in photography, btw.



I prefer 35 mm to digital. Much higher picture quality and Wolf Camera has new picture CD software that blows away the Kodak CDs. Much higher resolution and color saturation. I usually shoot with 400 asa film since I sometimes don`t finish with a customer`s car until nearly sundown, especially as the days grow shorter.



For personal photography of your own car, you get the best color around 30 minutes after sun up or 30 minutes before sundown. I forget why, but take a look at your paint that time of day and it will look richer than normal.



BTW, I have a Nikon N60 with a 28-80 zoom and a 75-300 zoom. Tons of automatic settings and I can go full manual to control apeture and depth of field if I want.

[Taxlady]

shutter speed doesn`t affect the depth of the picture, apeture (the f-stop) does.

Absolutely correct. But, if you have an automatic camera where you can set the shutter speed, then it will compensate in low light conditions by changing the aperture, and thereby the depth of field.

[jerry@robs]

Best tip I can give you guys... Digital or 35mm...



Grab a tripod, set your camera on self timer... guaranteed no camera shake and you can use a slower shutter speed so you won`t need flash...

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by Taxlady

Absolutely correct. But, if you have an automatic camera where you can set the shutter speed, then it will compensate in low light conditions by changing the aperture, and thereby the depth of field.

Which is why when I am shooting pics of cars, I use a slower shutter speed so I can stop the lens down for a sharper background so the entire car is in sharp focus. My camera has 10 different automatic settings plus full manual control.

[boywonder]

Originally posted by Scottwax

BTW, I have a Nikon N60 with a 28-80 zoom and a 75-300 zoom. Tons of automatic settings and I can go full manual to control apeture and depth of field if I want.

I have a Canon T70 with a Vivtar 35-70 lens, Tiffen 55mm Polarizing and UV Filters, and a Sunpak Bounce Flash.



I have had this camera since my senior year in High School and the lens slightly longer (Used it on a Canon AV-1).



Most of my Pics are taken with the UV filter on.