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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 143 - Found Patterns >> Challenge 143 - Eligible > fire escape
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29-SEP-2007 Tom Doyle

fire escape

Oakland, CA

My first 40D entry.

Canon EOS 40D ,Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS
1/60s f/5.6 at 85.0mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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ctfchallenge09-Oct-2007 23:54
Late for commenting, but just *have* to say I really like this one. The DOF is just perfect, makes it kind of two pictures in one. Well seen, well executed.
-k2
janewigginsphotography03-Oct-2007 01:18
Well worth the effort on this one... and an excellent viewpoint. I really like it. jano
ctfchallenge02-Oct-2007 16:02
Good one Tom and I like the focus on the bottom repeating curly cues. It would be interesting to see what a larger DOF would look like on this shot too so if you get a chance, post one in pending for us to compare. CJ
ctfchallenge02-Oct-2007 02:01
What a beauty and I'm glad to see the new "D" in action. They were out of stock here in the states at major reliable sources so just as soon as I get PS CS3, I'll look forward to picking up the 40. I'm impressed with the clarity and color of the in focus parts of this image. The reviews on this camera are very good and some compare it to the 5D!!! Huh????? shu
Maurice Allain01-Oct-2007 16:46
This shot caught my eye straight away!, you'll have lots of fun experimenting with different settings to get a better depth of field, if you calculate where the hyperfocal is, you may get everything in focus! I quite like the DOF as it is though, but if you get a sunny day, you may even get the shadows giving even more depth to the patterns!
Guest 30-Sep-2007 23:30
Thanks all. I really appreciate the help, tips, advice & encouragement. (and occasional harassment)
ctfchallenge30-Sep-2007 16:21
Very nice Tom. I think the DOF works okay for me here. I wonder how getting that lower circular pattern either in center or further out of center (so the viewers eye won't be tempted to want it there) might help with this should you choose to reshoot.
Congrats on the new 40d. I played with one in the store the other day. I have the 30d which made just a fairly incremental improvement over the 20D, but the 40d appears to have made quite a jump in adding new features. I love the way it feels in the hand and the quiet positive sound of the shutter. The brighter viewfinder is nice and the live preview could be great for some low angled shots. Great camera- have fun with it!
~Brent
ctfchallenge30-Sep-2007 16:17
Agree with everyone else's posting here. Rod is right on with his suggestions IF you want to get more DOF into the shot. Just one other thing; the IS on this lens is terrific and you can half the shutter speed you used and still get a sharp image when shooting a stationary object. If you have a steady hand, even as slow a SS as 1/20th, some even say 1/15th ... experiment. This would give you a considerably higher/smaller aperture and increase your DOF, again IF that's what you wanted. Dang!! Now your shots will be twice as good as my measly 20D shots ";^) Oh, and just type it into the "Other" window. Cheers, and you'll love it! -mikey
ctfchallenge30-Sep-2007 13:20
Tom, I think you have a point and besides we Toms need to stick together to manage the Rods of the world. Because your selected focus is to precisely where it is, and not vaguely at some line further up the diagonals, it works as you described. A new SLR can be a revelatory experience. You will have fun discovering the focus and dof controls now available to you. -tv
Rod 30-Sep-2007 06:56
As this is just across the road Tom that makes a great way to experiment wiv differing settings. There will be two things to try wiv this particular shot, one is the smaller F stops & two is where you choose to focus on . So try some small F stop shots wiv the focus on the lower wrought iron & then try some small F stop shots by having the camera focus on something near the middle of the picy. It seems most of us get better results by just having the center focus point activated instead of letting the camera choose the focus point. This means you will have to focus the center focus point on the most important part of the picy then recompose & shoot. Your 40D has a more advanced focus system than our girly cameras so try a bit of everything:-)
Guest 30-Sep-2007 05:35
Thanks guys, I like the out-of-focus part, it may be the thing that makes you want to see more, 'keep em guessing' type thing. A good picture often leaves questions unanswered.
Rod, thanks for the tips, this is my first DSLR (got it Friday) & I really don't know the optic rules yet. This is right across the street from me, so I should have no problem taking more shots.
ctfchallenge30-Sep-2007 05:23
Congrats on the new toy Tom. I agree with Rod. This picture has lots of interest so I'd like to see more of it in focus. Huge potential here as I think you've found a perfect subject. -COAmature
Rod 30-Sep-2007 05:05
Bugger off Tom you can't have a better camera than me how can I assert me manliness wiv me little girly 350D:-)
Wow Tom that's a great camera to have & it's helped you get a great pattern shot like this one. Well done mate I hope you enjoy using it.
The only thing I can suggest for this shot to make it flow a tad better is for you to use a lot smaller F stop for a larger depth of field. The angle you have taken this on wants to lead our eye up the shot but because it's out of the DOF our eye is confined to the bottom third (this smaller DOF can work great on other subjects) I can see you were struggling for light but wiv the 40D you can up the iSO to at least 1600 in reasonable light & get great results. Then you could have used F16 at least & still had a fast enough shutter speed. Then again you have a lens wiv IS so you can shoot wiv fairly low shutter speeds. As you probably know it takes a while to start getting the best out of a new camera but you're off to great start. Good onya Tom:-)