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I may or may not have asked this before, but I can't find a thread about it, so I'll go ahead and post this. I recently moved to Arkansas and enjoy hiking and waterfalls. A week ago, I bought a book that shows tons of waterfalls in the state and have pinpointed them on my atlas. I have taken pictures of waterfalls with my Sony DSC-H70 and some of them are decent (in my eyes.) However, I have never used a tripod, though I do plan on ordering one tonight. Getting a tripod will obviously help, but even so...I feel like my current camera lacks big time compared to whats out there. With the tax return season here, I have thought about upgrading to a camera that will improve my waterfall pictures. So my question, does anyone have any suggestions on cameras I should buy? I'm hoping that I don't have to spend a super large amount of money to get a camera in order to take those good flowing waterfall pictures that you see online.
you need a tripod, long exposures and most important density filters to get that silky cotton look. it is the filters that let you slow the speed down enough in daylight to get the water to do that.
I believe your H70 has manual mode which is where you want to be. Set lowest ISO, a shutter speed no faster than 1/8s (slower for silkier motion), select a small aperture (high f-value). Avoid shooting in harsh light conditions, either early or late or cloudy/shaded. And of course you would need a tripod, even a basic one might do as long as the camera will stay in place. Might want to turn off stabilization when using tripod.
Alter your settings to see where you get the best results. Try going slower than 1/2s. And do use timer for the shutter.
That may help you familiarize with shooting waterfalls and would apply to any camera. Of course you can go further with neutral density filters and such when the lens allows it but the basics are about using slow shutter speed, using tripod, timing/light quality etc.
If you do want to go with a more advanced camera, your options are limited only by your preferences and budget, whether you want s bridge camera, a larger system camera or a compact system camera.
you need a tripod, long exposures and most important density filters to get that silky cotton look. it is the filters that let you slow the speed down enough in daylight to get the water to do that.
A big part of it IS a function on the camera. You need a camera that will either allow you shutter priority, full manual exposure, or at least some kind of "program" mode that sets a slow shutter speed for you (the last of which is still not ideal). All three are "functions" of the camera. The OP could get a tripod and ND filter but without the ability to manually slow the shutter down, he still wouldn't be able to take the shot he's probably looking for. And according to dpreview, the Sony DSC-H70 does not have shutter priority or full manual exposure (EinsteinsGhost says that it does but I'm more inclined to believe dpreview, sorry). If it has some kind pre-programmed long exposure mode, that might work but again, it would not be ideal.
bkern, upgrading your camera to one with manual exposure or at least shutter priority would be beneficial and help you achieve better waterfall photos because it would give you control of exposure, but you'll also need to understand exposure and how to set your camera to achieve what you're looking for. Every photographer needs the right tools for the job but the tools are still only as good as the photographer is skilled.
You shouldn't need to spend a lot of money, like I say, you just need a camera with manual exposure and there are a lot of cameras out there which offer this in a wide range of prices. I recommend using dpreview's camera feature search to narrow down your options: http://www.dpreview.com/products/sea...t&ref=mainmenu - if you're not ready to jump to a camera with interchangeable lenses, I would probably recommend either a "large sensor compact" or an "SLR-like (bridge)" camera. These will probably be more likely to have filters compatible with them.
You don't "need" a tripod or filters either. Sure they help but I've taken all of these handheld with no filters:
What were those shot at? Personally, I don't handhold below 1/50 (assuming I'm not using a telephoto lens because of course as a general rule your shutter speed shouldn't be below your focal length - so if shooting at 100mm, best not go slower 1/100 handheld) unless there's image stabilization. I imagine having a steady hand and/or IS would be beneficial but not everyone has those. I suppose how fast the water is flowing will also influence how much it will blur at certain shutter speeds - and might camera to subject distance play a part? There's also something to be said about camera shake not always being visable when images are scaled down for the internet. I've have shots that look great until I zoom in 100% and there is noticeable camera shake. There's lots of things to consider.
What were those shot at? Personally, I don't handhold below 1/50 (assuming I'm not using a telephoto lens because of course as a general rule your shutter speed shouldn't be below your focal length - so if shooting at 100mm, best not go slower 1/100 handheld) unless there's image stabilization. I imagine having a steady hand and/or IS would be beneficial but not everyone has those. I suppose how fast the water is flowing will also influence how much it will blur at certain shutter speeds - and might camera to subject distance play a part? There's also something to be said about camera shake not always being visable when images are scaled down for the internet. I've have shots that look great until I zoom in 100% and there is noticeable camera shake. There's lots of things to consider.
What were those shot at? Personally, I don't handhold below 1/50 (assuming I'm not using a telephoto lens because of course as a general rule your shutter speed shouldn't be below your focal length - so if shooting at 100mm, best not go slower 1/100 handheld) unless there's image stabilization. I imagine having a steady hand and/or IS would be beneficial but not everyone has those. I suppose how fast the water is flowing will also influence how much it will blur at certain shutter speeds - and might camera to subject distance play a part? There's also something to be said about camera shake not always being visable when images are scaled down for the internet. I've have shots that look great until I zoom in 100% and there is noticeable camera shake. There's lots of things to consider.
what happens if you go to long whether handheld or not the leaves and plants move and blur and can make an ugly smush.
Or, you breathe or your hands jitter and the whole thing is a big smudge.
My best advice for the OP is to pick up a DSLR - as far as which one to get, that's another issue entirely, and since I'm assuming they don't have any lenses for a particular maker, at this point they're not financially beholden to one or the other (if I wanted to switch to Canon or Sony right now, I'd have to shell out a lot of money to get the same choice of lenses I already have).
I'm partial to Nikons, but Sony and Canon make great products, too. What you may want to consider doing is getting something used - natcam.com has GREAT prices, and you can pick up an older Nikon D40 or Sony A100 with an 18-55 lens about $250 or less, so that you can practice and see how you take to manual photography before you invest $750-1200 in a new kit.
I was reluctant to switch to a DSLR at first, too, but the folks here as well as my sister, who's a photo major, convinced me Now, I can't imagine using anything but...
We just picked up two hoya 6 stop and 9 stop density filters. I can't wait until i get to try them.
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Now, I can't imagine using anything but...
