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friskybinx

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 6, 2012
2
0
Hey guys!

I just got myself a Nikon D90 yesterday, and I've spent the past day reading and trying to figure it out. I'm not totally new to this, but definitely still a beginner. I took this photo of my dog today, and I'm curious as to why the background seems pretty pixeled. I DO NOT use anything auto because I want to force myself to figure everything out, but I'm not quite sure what to do for this one. I'm trying to get my pictures clean, sharp and vibrant.

Picture:
400923_10150597960054913_751784912_10696843_1991267807_n.jpg


Settings:
No Flash
Dimensions: 3216 x 2136
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/4.0
Focal Length: 28mm
ISO 1600
Lens: Kit lens 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6
 
friskybinx said:
Hey guys!

I just got myself a Nikon D90 yesterday, and I've spent the past day reading and trying to figure it out. I'm not totally new to this, but definitely still a beginner. I took this photo of my dog today, and I'm curious as to why the background seems pretty pixeled. I DO NOT use anything auto because I want to force myself to figure everything out, but I'm not quite sure what to do for this one. I'm trying to get my pictures clean, sharp and vibrant.

Picture:
Image

Settings:
No Flash
Dimensions: 3216 x 2136
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/4.0
Focal Length: 28mm
ISO 1600
Lens: Kit lens 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6
Click to expand...

My guess (from another very much beginner, lol) would be ISO 1600. On my alpha anything above ISO 800 starts to get grainy and pixelated. Then again, the D90 and my a290 are in different leagues... :D
 
friskybinx said:
Settings:
No Flash
Dimensions: 3216 x 2136
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/4.0
Focal Length: 28mm
ISO 1600
Lens: Kit lens 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6
Click to expand...

It's the high ISO that is causing the grain you're seeing. ISO 1600 is fairly high for most cameras. Given your other settings, however, you didn't have much choice. The light was pretty low, and you were already at the widest aperture that your kit lens can handle at that focal length. If you think you'll be doing a lot of low-light shooting of subjects that move (pets, people, etc.), then you might want to invest in a 'fast' lens (i.e. one with a maximum aperture of 2.8 or wider).
 
I guess I'm confused - on my camera it says it's set at 200, but it's still shooting at 1600?

----------

Oh nevermind! I had something in my ISO settings set at 1600. I'm definitely assuming that would be why! Now it's showing up in my settings for the pictures I'm taking for whatever I take.


Aside from that, what else can you see in the photo color wise I could change to make it a better quality?
 
The colours are fine. There are two problems, though:

1. Distracting background.

2. Slightly off composition. The camera could be tilted down a bit more so that the top of the dog's head is closer to the top of the frame. I think about half the gap that is now there is right. Always try to leave some headroom. The key is to get it nicely balanced.
 
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