Evaluation - The Story So Far...



f/11 14 sec ISO 100



Now that I have had a few weeks to get to grips with the camera its time to have a look at what I have learned to date. For instance, I know ISO is the image sensitivity.  High ISO speeds mean the image sensor is more sensitive and is useful in low light situations.  This does however create noise on the image.  A high ISO may be necessary when using fast shutter speeds or narrow aperture.  I also know that shutter speeds control how long the aperture is open (also known as exposure time) and are measured in fractions of seconds or whole seconds.  I know that "bulb" mode is a really cool feature (see pic) due to the fact you can keep the shutter open as long as you want which lets you create some great Images.  Now I know aperture controls how much light passes into the camera and that it's measured in f/numbers (or f/stops).  What takes a bit of remembering is the fact that narrow aperture = high f/stop and wide aperture = low f/stop.  

What I dont know (and really wish I did), is exactly when to use which settings.  I kind of annoy myself at having to try out many different apertures and shutter speeds before I stumble across one that actually takes a good exposure.  On quite a few occasions this has made me miss some good photo opportunities.



f/10 1/160 sec ISO 100

 With regards to the tasks, I think they have been a bit hit and miss.  Some of my pictures came out well (I was particularly proud of the church picture) and others are now sitting in the bottom of my pc's recycle bin waiting to be destroyed.  I did manage to produce a few decent images but at this stage I feel like they were more to do with luck than talent.  I do feel I have an eye for a photograph and that it's just a matter of practice makes perfect.   

At this stage of the course I dont really feel I could have done anything differently and I guess I just need to keep plugging away and experimenting.  I enjoyed completing the tasks and it has helped familiarize myself with my camera controls.  Hopefully in the future i'll be able to do these tasks again with greater results.

To complete these tasks I used:
Sony Alpha 200 DSLR
Sony DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 lens
Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 APO DG MACRO lens
Kodak tripod