Which one? PIC HEAVY

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J

Justturnin

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I am burning my lunch break trying to learn how to take pics. I built a box and need to fine tune my point and click skills. These photos are unedited just cropped. Which is the better pic. I don't have an eye for this because I have no idea what I am looking at.

For the differences I changed the ISO and used different White Balances (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Evaluate WB) in that order top to bottom.

I am using 3 5000K (switched from 6500K) bulbs at the recommendation of someone that takes some mighty fine pics.

The first are set to 100 and then I tried various White Balances (WB) for it.
IMG_2272.jpg
IMG_2273.jpg
IMG_2274.jpg
IMG_2275.jpg

For these I used AUTO ISO and the diff WB
IMG_2276.jpg
IMG_2277.jpg
IMG_2278.jpg
IMG_2279.jpg

I did take some pics at ISO 200 but the kidos had some prints on the lens that I didn't realize so I will have to retake those.
 
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Number 3 seems to be the most natural in either group. I downloaded both of the number 3's and compared them side to side and there is very little difference. If anything , the second grouping is more grainy and not as sharp.
 
If the background is gray, I'd say the 4th in both sets are the most accurate, based solely on the color of the grey.

When you say you're not sure what you're looking at, I assume you mean with regard to the effects of the various WB settings? If so, with a gray background, you're looking for the one with the least color cast to the background. Some look too cool (green to blue tints) and others look too warm (yellow to red tints). The fourth in each set shows the background as pretty well neutral.

Another option would be to shoot a white card if your camera allows you to set a custom WB. The details vary for camera to camera, but you basically shoot a white card which in effect tells the computer "Now THIS is white." as long as you stay in the custom WB mode and your light source stays the same, your white balance will be perfect.


But enough of the boring stuff, tell us about that blank!


-Matt
 
Thanks everyone. I may look into getting some of the cards. I didnt know my camera was adjustable until Curtis pointed it out.

As for the blank, that is Sweet Gum Balls
 
If your using a tripod the ISO change wont matter much. The 4th pictures should be the truest to color. You should be able to adjust your exposure for each ISO
(EV +/-) to lighten or darken the picture. You haven mentioned your aperture setting. The F stop, as in f11-f16 range. If your on auto or program mode you may want to go to Aperture mode.
 
ISO = "film" speed. Higher number means less motion blur and grainier image. With a tripod, motion blur is a non-issue. Depending on your camera resolution and what you'll do with the images, graininess may be a non-issue, too. If you have a tripod, just set it to the lowest number your camera will do.

White balance = "evaluate" sounds to me like the custom setting. Typically, you'd set this mode, then put something neutral white or gray in front of the lens and press a button to "set" the white balance. If you have a gray card or white card, you can use that, but a piece of good white paper will do just as well. Avoid a card with a "cool" or "warm" look. If this is what "evaluate" means on your camera, use it. (If it's not, you can still put paper in front of the camera and try each of the settings to see which produces the most neutral white, just judging it by eye.)

Aperture = if you have a tripod, choose the highest number your camera offers. This gets you the deepest focus.
 
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One thing that bothers me is the bright reflection line that runs along the pen. I would think you need to move the lights around to remove the reflection. My 2 cents and BTW sweet sweet gum balls
 
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To eliminate the light glare, hold a roughly 12" x 12" card in different positions about 20 inches away and see when the glare goes away.
 
Go ISO 100. As you increase the iso (which will brighten the picture) it introduces 'noise'. On a tripod with solid lighting, you can have a slower shutter speed to get the required light at iso 100.

You said unedited- what do you plan on using? No photo will be good-to-go right from the camera, and what you think are problems may be eliminated in post production.
 
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