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SLR Camera Simulator

camerasim.com

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Re: SLR Camera Simulator

#51

Post by kamjam »

ben1040 wrote: post #32
Bob_Sheep wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The aperture on an SLR only closes once you press the shutter release (or press the depth of field preview button, but those are becoming rare on consumer grade hardware). If the aperture closed as soon as you changed it the camera would be unusable because the viewfinder would become very dark, and the autofocus would stop working.

>or press the depth of field preview button, but those are becoming rare on consumer grade hardware I bought a Nikon D5100 last summer, my first SLR since a Pentax K1000 I had for decades. The lack of a DoF preview button was a little hard for me to adjust to.

Can you expand on that a little... I'm looking to buy a D5100, is this using the LCD or the viewfinder?

Re: SLR Camera Simulator

#52

Post by adavies42 »

Splines wrote: post #27
japhyr wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see value in this. I have seen many people frustrated because their camera's automatic functions did not produce the image they wanted, and they have no idea how to change the settings to get a better image. It almost always boils down to an understanding between shutter speed, aperture, and simple settings such as exposure compensation. For these people, this kind of simulator could be really helpful. It might be…

It seems like there's a balance between the different settings on a camera that can't really be captured well with independent sliders. I imagine a control that indicates the trade-offs (and when they're ok) as you tweak it would educate users in a better way than experimentation. Stay "inside the envelope" and your picture is probably ok. You can get outside it if you know what you're doing.

i saw a suggestion a few years ago for a mode that would just let you set depth of field directly, picking an aperture and shutter (and possibly iso and comp too) appropriately given the lighting. after all, what most people want most of the time is either a narrow depth to isolate a subject with bokeh or a wide depth to show something in context.

Re: SLR Camera Simulator

#54

Post by georgieporgie »

kamjam wrote: post #51
ben1040 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>or press the depth of field preview button, but those are becoming rare on consumer grade hardware I bought a Nikon D5100 last summer, my first SLR since a Pentax K1000 I had for decades. The lack of a DoF preview button was a little hard for me to adjust to.

Can you expand on that a little... I'm looking to buy a D5100, is this using the LCD or the viewfinder?

Viewfinder. The depth of field preview just closes the shutter to the expected aperture while you're looking through the lens. It will darken significantly, but if it's reasonably lit where you're shooting, you'll be able to get an idea of the DOF.

Re: SLR Camera Simulator

#55

Post by Arelius »

adavies42 wrote: post #52
Splines wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems like there's a balance between the different settings on a camera that can't really be captured well with independent sliders. I imagine a control that indicates the trade-offs (and when they're ok) as you tweak it would educate users in a better way than experimentation. Stay "inside the envelope" and your picture is probably ok. You can get outside it if you know what you're doing.

i saw a suggestion a few years ago for a mode that would just let you set depth of field directly, picking an aperture and shutter (and possibly iso and comp too) appropriately given the lighting. after all, what most people want most of the time is either a narrow depth to isolate a subject with bokeh or a wide depth to show something in context.

Isn't that basically what Aperture Priority mode does?

Re: SLR Camera Simulator

#56

Post by georgieporgie »

lusr wrote: post #4

One thing that would be invaluable simulating is a variable aperture lens rather than this constant f/2.8 simulation. My girlfriend just got her first DSLR and was struggling with changing the aperture. While she understood the concepts, she wasn't familiar with working with a DSLR alone and since I wasn't physically present, it took me a while to realise over the phone she'd been changing the aperture by changing th…

That's a rather contrived complaint. The idea of the simulator is to quickly show how the different settings affect the outcome. The simulator isn't designed to simulate your exact lens configuration.

Your complaint is like if you were teaching someone to drive and they kept cutting in too much in corners. You tell them to steer wider and they complain that they'll go too fast if they do so. What? It turns out that their car is FWD and, in order to steer wider, they were flooring the throttle to in order to cause understeer (i.e. cause the front end to slide). Well, the two (accelerate:turn or zoom:aperture) are completely unrelated functions that happen to have a certain incidental overlap in their output.

Re: SLR Camera Simulator

#57

Post by japhyr »

Arelius wrote: post #55
adavies42 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i saw a suggestion a few years ago for a mode that would just let you set depth of field directly, picking an aperture and shutter (and possibly iso and comp too) appropriately given the lighting. after all, what most people want most of the time is either a narrow depth to isolate a subject with bokeh or a wide depth to show something in context.

Isn't that basically what Aperture Priority mode does?

Yes, for people who understand how aperture relates to depth of field. But there seem to be a good number of people who understand what depth of field is, without understanding how to control for it using aperture.

Re: SLR Camera Simulator

#58

Post by novalis »

Congrats on the cool project, I've never seen one done before and I understand how this would be of value to someone starting out that doesn't have access to the real deal. I think this must have been fun to develop and it shows. I can see great value in specific cases, for young kids to get a grasp at the joy of getting good photo results while experimenting. The experimentation factor is always a plus for interactivity and you showed good use of the tech to accomplish that.

Re: SLR Camera Simulator

#59

Post by brettnak »

slantyyz wrote: post #44
lusr wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where it has value, I think, is giving people a reference for the number of important variables. Modern DSLRs are covered in controls and symbols and modes, etc. and I believe for a beginner it can be quite overwhelming. Having just these key factors in mind when shooting could plausibly give a beginner the right set of variables to focus on without being distracted by all the other fluff. That being said, I absolute…

>> the only way to learn photography is to get out there and shoot. Mostly agree, but I see there as being two parts of photography. The art, which is seeing, composing, etc. For that, you do have to just get out and shoot. The craft, which is knowing what settings to use and when. You can learn this by trial and error by "just going out and shooting", but having someone teach you, reading about it, or using an app t…

I think this applies to a lot more than photography. Directly, I have knowledge of how it applies to both dancing and music as well, especially jazz. You definitely have to get out there and do it, but you have to spend time deliberately refining your ear, and deliberately refining your technique.

For dancing, it's much the same, you need to get out there and do it. But there is also a lot of time spent deliberately refining your ear for the music, your feeling for the beat what position your body should be in and how a lead should feel. Each play into the other but if one is neglected, it's hard to progress.

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