Beyder28 Posted April 28, 2011 Share #1 Â Posted April 28, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello, Â I am a newb and just got my X1 a few days ago. I have not been into photography all that long but I do have a good grasp of the basics. I still have my Canon 60D with the 15-85mm lens. I have read a lot on this forum and realize all the things that its good for and all the things that its not so good for and I can see those things for myself. So far, I have been able to take some good pictures but admittedly, they were taken at standard situations without any tricky lighting or other difficult conditions. For this reason, I am planning on keeping my 60D. Â I have a newb question about the X1 for anyone who is willing to engage me. I am interested in learning how to master the MF and be able to take pictures of my 11 month old daughter. She is not one that likes to sit still in one place just like any other child her age. I have been reading what people have been writing, how they would focus 1.8m to infinity and just shoot away (while doing street photography) but I wish someone could explain to me in more detail as to what is the best technique for shooting with MF (I get a little lost and intimidated once I set it to MF) and what is the best technique for being able to capture a slow moving subject (baby).What is the best strategy for this? stay a certain distance away? Put camera in continuous shooting mode? certain shutter speed and aperture setting? Â Thank you guys so much in advance for the help! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 28, 2011 Posted April 28, 2011 Hi Beyder28, Take a look here Going from Canon 60D to the X1. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dkCambridgeshire Posted April 28, 2011 Share #2 Â Posted April 28, 2011 Have you updated the firmware? The new firmware improves the manual focus function and shows the depth of field for any set focus distance. Â If you have not yet updated the firmware there are several threads within this forum explaining same. Â dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lykaman Posted April 29, 2011 Share #3  Posted April 29, 2011 Hi, I started taking kids pix this way.. set up your camera & set up the self timer. 10secs..then set the camera on a table at the kids height..then use a toy or something behind the camera to get the kids attention..use a bright room so to avoid flash.. Technically this is not a good pic, but I was getting Saul ready by using an old P&S.. my efforts paid off as the X1 pix..sold like wildfire.. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/150466-going-from-canon-60d-to-the-x1/?do=findComment&comment=1658767'>More sharing options...
Beyder28 Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share #4 Â Posted April 29, 2011 I did download the new firmware. And I do see how the MF works. I was just looking for some tips on how some of the more experienced users do it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnloumiles Posted April 30, 2011 Share #5  Posted April 30, 2011 Hi There  I also graduated from a 60D to a X1 and it does take some getting use to. I was going to write this long drawn out post about zone focusing but since your getting started I'm going to tell you what I learned when I first started shooting with a small Rollie 35 (in which there was no way to know if the focus was correct except to guess or measure). I would take a tape measurer out and mark objects that were 3, 5, 6, 8 feet away from my camera respectively. I did this quit a bit, with and without film. It's quite crude but after a while you can judge a distance pretty spot on. Obviously your child will be moving but if you set it at 3 feet say, you can capture a moment. Also keep in mind you need enough avaiable light to keep the shutter speed around at least 125 to prevent blurring.  If your outside and it's bright out you can set the f stop to 8 or 11, put the focus at 6 feet and your good to go no matter what she's doing. Hope this helps and good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h00ligan Posted May 1, 2011 Share #6 Â Posted May 1, 2011 Google 'zone focusing' Â As an experiment to get you started: set the shutter to 1/60 and aperture to f5.6. Use an iso appropriate for the lighting. Set the camera to manual focus and focus around 3 ft. Â At that point you have to do two things.. Ty to stay 3 ft from the subject, frame. Â Change the above settings as necessary. You are creating enough depth of field to get acceptable sharpness in a larger area. Ty it, experiment, google the phrase and read up. Â Hope that helps. Â After reading the above of higher ss, it depends what you're looking for..I wouldn't zone focus a portrait usually, and 1/60 may give you some blur you appreciate. Everyone has different tastes, find out which settings work for you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Jones Posted May 1, 2011 Share #7 Â Posted May 1, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) If you want to let your subject move a lot 1/60 seems too slow. 1/250 will freeze most human actions and you will probably want to shoot continuously because at that speed it's easy to miss the moment. Problem is in anything but sunlight you will need to be around the highest iso's. Â In all I would say good luck with shooting toddlers, a dslr has the all round speed to do this job more easily. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beyder28 Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share #8 Â Posted May 1, 2011 Thanks guys for the advice. I will try some of those things out and see how they work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco.chandra Posted May 1, 2011 Share #9 Â Posted May 1, 2011 Hi Beyder, babies and toddlers are really challenging objects. One thing for sure, they're always moving. They won't follow your instructions. Especially at certain age when they start to be active. I too get into photography to take shots of my son. I've gone from 450D, 50D, DLUX4 and now 5D2. Now, I'm curious about X1 and M8.2. Â But from what I've learnt so far. Bright locations help a lot. In darker rooms, I'd use FF and big aperture f/1.4-1.8. All to get that high shutter speed. Another strategy you can try is to always take burst shots. The biggest leap was moving to FF and getting an f/1.4. It makes life so much easier. Â Â But hey I'm just an amateur. Just my 2 cents.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco.chandra Posted May 1, 2011 Share #10  Posted May 1, 2011 Sorry first time upload... incorrect URL in previous post.  http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/members/68524-albums4884-picture6499.jpg  5D2-35f/1.4L Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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