Flying Pussyfoot

Howdy! Im Blowfish a german afficiando of figures,manga,anime and anything else that is hailing from the land of the rising sun. Check out my About Page for more Information.I hope youll enjoy your stay on my little Blog ^_^b

Tripod get!

Posted by Blowfish On December - 3 - 2008

I am one step closer to my goal of good figure photography with this little baby i bought yesterday.I didnt consider getting a tripod until ive seen a huge quality boost in meronpan figure reviews the last few weeks.One of his secrets is the use of a tripod and the 3 second delay setting to avoid any shaking.Some of my first quick shots (NSFW) are after the Jump!

My current Setup looks now like this:

The tripod increased the sharpness of the pictures alot and im really happy with the result.Another thing thats now possible are high exposure rate shots and the like.The problem here is that i have no idea what im doing (even tough ive read some stuff in the net beforehand).Ive had very mixed results and im going to show 3 pictures as an example.

Too Long Exposure

Low ISO,Short Exposure (I really like how this one turned out)

Pretty Regular settings

The next thing i need to improve on is the knowhow about camera settings and how to use them for the wanted effect.My 3 shots illustrate pretty good that a few changes in the cameras setting have a huge impact on the outcome.Right now things tend to turn out for the worse when im playing with the settings.I plan to change that but depend on your help.Please give me some hints on where to find easy to understand guides or just tell me straight what im doing wrong ^^

Recent, Uncategorized

Possibly Random Links

Giving back some love!

 

23 Responses so far
  1. ron~ Said,

    tripod is essential, good tripod will give you better & sharper picture :D

    I always use 10 sec delay for my photos :) always use lowest ISO, and set the shutter speed longer if you want it brighter :)

    ron~´s last blog post..1/7 Yagami Hayate ~ Alter

    Posted on December 3rd, 2008 at 01:00

  2. James Said,

    what the brand of your tripod ? mine is not good enough :(

    good buy :)

    James´s last blog post..Yagami Hayate 1/7 (Alter) review

    Posted on December 3rd, 2008 at 02:19

  3. Panther Said,

    Yea a good yet cheap tripod is essential, though the settings is also pretty much another major aspect, such as the manual settings indoors. You probably really have to keep playing with your camera in many different environments to get the feel for what kind of setting is needed each time you take a photoshoot, and even then you have to test out shots beforehand before starting.

    Panther´s last blog post..Deus ex December

    Posted on December 3rd, 2008 at 04:56

  4. meronpan Said,

    i wonder if that’s the same tripod i got – looks familiar ^^;

    you may have already read all this, but just in case:

    low/high iso – the higher the iso, the more sensitive the camera is to light, but the more noise (grainy) you’ll get. i think high iso is generally for when you can’t control the lighting, allowing you to compensate for low light. since we’re in a controlled environment, sticking to low iso you get the lowest noise.

    aperture size – when you decrease the aperture size (which are *higher* f-numbers, i.e. my camera goes to f/8), you decrease the amount of incoming light and increase the depth of field. you can compensate for the lower amount of light by increasing your exposure time. conversely, if you increase the aperture size (lower f-numbers, i think my camera bottoms out at f/2.8 or something), more light is coming in, and you can cut down on the exposure time.

    I pretty much am still only goofing around with aperture and exposure time and that’s the extent of my knowledge so far ^^;; Hopefully it’s accurate and good luck! Looks like you’re off to a good start!

    meronpan´s last blog post..ただいまもどりました～

    Posted on December 3rd, 2008 at 07:22

  5. Blowfish Said,

    @ron~
    Common sense should have told me that a tripod is essential but my common sense seems to be broken^^

    @james
    Its a Hama Star 61 tripod
    A local shop had it on sale for 20€ and the ratings were pretty good so i snatched it

    @panther
    Yeah i fear that there is going to be alot of trial and error involved in mastering the manual settings.

    @meronpan
    I guess most look the same ^^

    Thanks for the Info! I didnt know what the the aperture was doing at all.Gonna play a bit around with it

    Posted on December 3rd, 2008 at 14:04

  6. super rats Said,

    Tripod is important. It’s essential gear, I think.

    super rats´s last blog post..The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

    Posted on December 3rd, 2008 at 22:01

  7. Persocom Said,

    I might have to get better gear come tax returns… digital camera+holding in hands = fail

    Persocom´s last blog post..Vocaloid2 Figma Group Shoot

    Posted on December 4th, 2008 at 01:06

  8. phossil Said,

    I think You should also consider the lightning directions.

    phossil´s last blog post..Desktop wallpaper

    Posted on December 4th, 2008 at 03:09

  9. gordon Said,

    i’m thinking of getting a new tripod since i somehow broke my current one. my current one is the same type like yours but i find that the handle and knob is a pain to adjust. will be considering getting a ball joint type in future. ^^;

    gordon´s last blog post..One Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero Hits Get (Again?)

    Posted on December 4th, 2008 at 17:57

  10. sari_manion Said,

    Ah du willst so richtig professionel ldeine Figuren fotografieren?`Respekt XD
    Ich hab mir noch die andere Alice bestellt, bzw kriege sie. Meine Pastel Ink Moetan (die mit der Dioramabase) war nicht komplett und der Händler wollte mir eine Neue zusenden. Ich kann hier aber keine 2 gebrauchen, deswegen hol ich mir die Alice und er erlässt mir die Versandkosten <
    Glück gehabt, aber ich geb in letzter Zeit eindeutig zuviel Geld aus <_<;;

    Posted on December 4th, 2008 at 21:35

  11. Blowfish Said,

    @superrats
    It is…I dont know why i didnt buy one earlier^^

    @persocom
    There are some pretty decent cheap tripos out there.its pretty nice to work with one

    @phossil
    Thanks! All Critic is appreciated

    @gordon
    I wonder how you can break a tripod?I can imagine thats its alot nicer to work with a balljointed one.Im happy with my current model for the next time tough^^

    @sari_manion
    Ja man tut eben was man kann^^
    Glück gehabt oder Verhandlunsggeschick… Ja Geld gebe ich auch viiiiiiiiel zu viel aus

    Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 01:29

  12. Saku Said,

    Nice buy. I need to get one for myself XD.

    Saku´s last blog post..Toronto Bloggers Meet-Up

    Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 04:29

  13. Rin Said,

    I never use my tripod…I have one cause it came with my camera…got to love Hong Kong and their deals.
    Well, now I might start using it as I got a new way doing shoots…
    I would like to say you need more lighting…
    The main reason is to make the shoot more brighter…
    Just mess around with the settings until you get a good result.
    I did and that did take a while…

    Rin´s last blog post..Blogger and Otaku Meet…Planning…

    Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 08:15

  14. xJAYMANx Said,

    @Blowfish: Yup, some folks need it for serious sharpness, other folks don’t like to be tied down by it… Though I might be looking into a new quad-pod (i.e. chair with masking tape). ^_^

    xJAYMANx´s last blog post..Blog 178 > Blog Antics & Anime Battles

    Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 11:47

  15. sari_manion Said,

    Schrecklich – wieder 4 neue Figuren gekauft. Sogar eine Nendoroid…dabei wollte ich so eine garnicht aber die sind echt niedlich x_X
    Ich bin in letzter Zeit echt gut im Figuren zerstören, bei meiner Jibril hab ich den Heiligenschien durchgebrochen, konnte man aber auch kleben =.=
    Ist die Schleife wieder heile?

    Posted on December 7th, 2008 at 20:51

  16. ETERNAL Said,

    I’m pretty sure a tripod is essential, although I shouldn’t talk since I have yet to get a DSLR and actually try taking pictures. I suppose the best way to learn, though, is through practice; or at least, that’s what I’m hoping ^^;

    ETERNAL´s last blog post..ef – a tale of melodies [ep 9]

    Posted on December 8th, 2008 at 04:33

  17. Len-Vesper Said,

    Tripod is a good buy, hope you didn’t shell out insane bucks for it. Some manufacturers charge an arm and leg for what is really just a bunch of plastic and carbon fiber.

    A tripod will definitely help you – you’ll be able to take high intensity shots without shakes :o

    Len-Vesper´s last blog post..Hayate’s Magic Cured me from Sickness!

    Posted on December 8th, 2008 at 20:08

  18. picchar Said,

    I got a tripod some months ago, before I did my Ignis photoshoot. They really help ^_^ Except it’s easier to switch angles without it. But at least I won’t have to worry about blurry photos (except when I use my dad’s old lens which requires me to manually focus).

    As for camera settings, I just fiddled around with the aperture and shutter speed. Getting the right balance is fun ^_^ It’s really up to you anyway how “bright” or “dark” you want your photos to be ^^

    What camera do you use?

    picchar´s last blog post..Final Fantasy Meme

    Posted on December 8th, 2008 at 23:02

  19. Melonpan Said,

    Nice. So ein Ding will ich eigentlich auch schon lange erwerben, genauso wie ein richtig anständige Kamera mit einem anständigen Objektiv. Was ich auch noch erwerben muss, ist mehr Zeit für Figure Reviews. Irgendwie. Anyway, lass die Pics kommen! Ich freue mich schon. ;)

    Gruss

    Herr Melonpan

    Melonpan´s last blog post..Emocafe – Heute: Kinder!

    Posted on December 9th, 2008 at 22:52

  20. Gargron Said,

    Wow, it’s almost the same tripod as mine xD

    Gargron´s last blog post..The inescapability of the Christmas period

    Posted on December 11th, 2008 at 20:49

  21. Blowfish Said,

    @saku
    Do it! You wont regret it!

    @rin
    Really?I cant live without tripod anymore
    Yeah finding the sweet spot is incredible tricky

    @jayman
    Interesting concept ^^

    @sari_manion
    Schrecklich?Toll!
    Jaja Nendoroids haben mich auch erst kürzlich in ihren Bann gezogen^^ Also ich würd meine figuren vor dir ja verstecken XD

    @eternal
    Its not as easy as i thought ^^;;

    @lenvesper
    Dear god no!Im not one of those guys that shells out a big stack of money for state of the art equipment.It was fairly cheap and does it Job

    @picchar
    I use a Nikon Coolpix P50 point and shoot camera.Its nothing as fancy as a DSLR but im happy with it.I think i know now alot more about settings.Gotta play a bit more with them and hope for a good outcome

    @melonpan
    Wie immer dachte ich im ersten Moment WTF MeRonpan postet auf Deutsch aber dann wars doch nur unser aller lieber LoliconHikikomori MeLonpan^^
    Die KAmera mit anständigen Motiv muss noch warten bis mal Geld vom Himmel regnet.Figure Reviews sind in der Tat immer sehr Zeitintesiv aber ich hoffe doch mal jetzt morgen noch eins auf die Reihe zu bekommen

    @Gargon
    Fate? ^_^

    Posted on December 14th, 2008 at 05:03

  22. Halconnen Said,

    A tripod is one of the things I’m eyeballing now as well. I never really needed one before, but when you’re thinking about creating a blog which will likely include figure reviews, one suddenly seems very necessary.

    Funny that I only saw this blog entry after talking to you on ICQ right now.

    Posted on December 18th, 2008 at 02:40

  23. Otaku Dan Said,

    that’s the same tripod i use, it pretty good

    Posted on December 26th, 2008 at 18:19

Add your comment

CommentLuv Enabled