Post by OrcaBob on Nov 5, 2009 0:00:09 GMT -5
Tons of excellent advice here and I don't think any of it's contradictory. The differences just illustrate the many options available in this scenario. It all comes down to dealing with the three main shot parameters. If your priority is a clear, less-noisy shot, then you're taking ISO out of the list of variables. Using supplemental light just gives you more leeway in how to play with the remaining variables.
I couldn't agree more. A photographer I used to assist for (and learned from) once gave me a "homework" assignment. His simple instructions were to choose one of the three variables and write down how many exposure combinations are possible for any one photo. So, I dutifully went home and put together a list of shutter speeds possible for a standard outdoor-on-a-sunny-day photo. I probably had about a dozen, but the real answer: Infinity. There are an infinite number of combinations that can be used for any photo with the only restrictions being the capabilities of the camera.
While some camera settings are continuous ranges (focus), the three main shot parameters are incremental ranges, so in practice they result in a finite number of possibilities. But the finite number of settings is huge.
Let's say for my D80, ISO has 16 settings. Shutter, 34 settings from 1 second to 1/2000. Aperture, 192 settings from f/2.8 to f/22.
That's 16x34x192=104,448 possible settings.
Conditions and shot-requirements usually require at least one parameter to get locked in, which greatly cuts down the number of possibilities. Ironically, it's often the worst shooting conditions that restrict the number of possible parameter settings.