Nikon d40 camera

J

JTMCGUIRE

Joined
Feb 20, 2009
Messages
6
Is there anyone have this camera,and can simpley tell me how to set settings to take a good picture of a knife?i have read tutorials and have a light box need help with camera.thanks
 
That's what all the pictures in my signature line are taken with. It's actually my wife's camera and I don't use a light box. As you can see I don't really know what I'm doing.
 
Just put everying on auto and you have yourself an exellent point and shoot! Also the A is for aperature priority and the S is for shutter priority . Both are still auto adjusting and will take good pics . Also make sure you flash is off and you have sufficient lighting!! Good luck with the d40 it's a great camera and with a bit of messing around you will get the hang of it in no time .
 
Hi JTMCGUIRE -

I use program mode and matrix metering, then sometimes I will go -3 on exposure to get a little more color pop.

I have the color set to vivid.

Also - I use auto white balance most of the time.

That will get you about where you need to be, but if you are not 100% familiar with the camera and it's settings, I would go to the following link and get familiar:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/users-guide/index.htm

I use the 18-50 vr lens that came with the camera kit to take most of my pics of knives - here is one I took recently of my Acies -

DSC_8859.JPG


and this one of my JK Kephart -

DSC_8804.JPG


I use two of the fluorescent "sunlight" bulbs in clamp-on fixtures and I clamp them on two cabinet doors in my kitchen and set the knife up under them - that way I can easily move the lights in a great range of adjustment.

best regards -

mqqn
 
Also the A is for aperature priority and the S is for shutter priority . Both are still auto adjusting and will take good pics
Click to expand...

close , in aperture priority , you choose the ap and the auto choose the shutter , shutter priority is exactly the opposite.

Having a great camera like the D40 and leaving it on auto is not exploring the greatness of the tool.
mqqn
That first image has a green/blue color cast to it , 15 seconds in photoshop (7.0 its all have on the laptop ) and a quick levels adjustment ....
DSC_8859.jpg


go to places like YouTube and search for Nikon D40 , lots of free tutorials out there.

Good lighting ( of the correct temperature ) will help your images a ton, find the book called " Understanding Exposure " , it has helped me remember a great deal of what I used to know.
 
I don't have a d40, but the basics of DSLRs are all similar. There's too much to cover in a post, so I'll write you a short "study guide". Mastering these technical aspects will help you get the most of your new camera.

Learn how to get your exposure right (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO), and learn the effects each setting will have on your image. Keep an eye on your histogram as you're shooting (look up "expose to the right"). Shoot on full manual any time speed isn't an issue.

Good lighting is vital. Without light, there can be no photograph. I have learned to use natural window light, but others get great results with artificial lighting.

Lastly, learn now to post-process your images. The biggest advantage to a DSLR (perhaps aside from interchangeable lenses) is the ability to save RAW files. Proper processing of a RAW file helps you get the absolute best out of your image.

Phillip
 
Indeed Phillip , raw is the way to go if you are into post production.

And the picts in your FLICKR account are well done !
 
light box is a huge help and then its all about tring angles adn backgrounds (+ tops so that the reflections on the blade look right )
since you gto a digi cam take lots of pic and sort the good and toss the rest
as you go you ll pitch less overall
BTW what photo editor are you using ?
 
John T Wylie Jr said:
close , in aperture priority , you choose the ap and the auto choose the shutter , shutter priority is exactly the opposite.

Having a great camera like the D40 and leaving it on auto is not exploring the greatness of the tool.

mqqn
That first image has a green/blue color cast to it , 15 seconds in photoshop (7.0 its all have on the laptop ) and a quick levels adjustment ....

Good lighting ( of the correct temperature ) will help your images a ton, find the book called " Understanding Exposure " , it has helped me remember a great deal of what I used to know.
Click to expand...

Thanks John -

If I had set the WB correctly I would not even have to edit the picture.

And I agree 100% with you on auto - the only time I put the camera on auto is when I hand it to someone else to snap a pic. :thumbup:

best regards -

mqqn
 
Buy yourself one of these Everything in your camera is based on 18% gray. This is a very simple way to get correct exposure and white balance. If you are interested in trying it, I'll show you how it works. Here is my 2 minute correction on the above image using the gray in the knife handle. (I also added a little Bokeh);)

DSC_8859-p.jpg
 
Thanks muleskinner -

I appreciate the suggestions.

Photography is really an art, and is subjective.

I prefer warmer rather than colder hues, and I also wanted the packaging to be prominent in the image.

I really just took the shots of the Acies as a quick way to show people on the web my new toy.

Thanks for the link to the gray card.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

best regards -

mqqn
 
mqqn said:
Thanks muleskinner -

I appreciate the suggestions.

Photography is really an art, and is subjective.

I prefer warmer rather than colder hues, and I also wanted the packaging to be prominent in the image.

I really just took the shots of the Acies as a quick way to show people on the web my new toy.

Thanks for the link to the gray card.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

best regards -

mqqn
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. I hope I didn't offend you with my edit, that was not my intention, I just wanted to show the OP how simple it is to correct/change things using gray.
 
muleskinner222 said:
I couldn't agree more. I hope I didn't offend you with my edit, that was not my intention, I just wanted to show the OP how simple it is to correct/change things using gray.
Click to expand...

Hi muleskinner -

Not at all - I appreciate the help! :thumbup:

I think the D40 does a great job of blurring out the backgrounds (bokeh).

I am still learning the camera having just bought it a year ago, so any suggestions are very welcome.

I did not see the greenish tint to the image until John showed me the corrected one, and your alteration does make the knife stand out much better.

Thanks again - keep the suggestions coming!

best regards -

mqqn
 
muleskinner222 said:
DSC_8859-p.jpg
Click to expand...

Please don't take offense, but I think I'd call that nisen-boke. :) It's nearly impossible to make background blur look convincing if you do it in post. Fortunately, with something as small as a knife, it's very easy to get shallow DOF; just open your aperture a little. Usually it's a struggle to get enough light on the sensor while keeping everything in focus (that's why I usually use a tripod).

Back to the original topic. Aperture is probably the single most important dial on your camera. Here are a few bullet-points for you to research:

-Depth of field
-Bokeh (boke)
-Lens performance at varying apertures (MTF charts)
-Lens diffraction
-Hyperfocal distance (more for landscapes, but the theory is important)

Understanding these things will help you understand what is happening to your photo when you move that aperture dial around.

Phillip

P.S. Gray cards are nice to have when shooting RAW, and absolutely vital with jpegs.
 
JTMcGuire:

I highly recommend this book : Understanding Exposure ( earlier I mistakingly called it Understanding Aperture ).
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003

Read it and then take pictures , study the settings you use and take notes ( physical notes ) of the changes the settings make so that when you view the pictures you will be able to make the connection of what the changes do.

Direct outdoor sunlight is about the worst for taking pictures , morning or evening light is better if using natural light.

What lightbox / light set up are you using ? Posting a picture of your setup , many will be able to provide suggestions on how to maximize the useage of what you have.
What lens are you using ? The kit lens ?

As Phillip mentioned , a tri-pod is a must ( granted there are some that can hand hold and get great images , I am certainly not one of them ).

as well as this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D40x-Digital-Field-Guide/dp/0470171480/ref=pd_sim_b_1

also the Magic Lantern guides seem to be popular for some
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Lantern-Guides-Nikon-D40/dp/1600591817
 
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