 Megan |
Completely new to photography I'm a noobie to photography. I have an old 35mm camera of my dad's. It's a minolta XG-A. It has a lense (I'm reading this straight off...I have no clue what i'm talking about) JcPenney (eek) MC Auto Zoom 1:3:9 f=80-200mm If anyone can give me a few tips to start....tell me what all of these numbers mean. How to work ASA. What ASA on the camera correlates with certain ASA film...what kind of film to use when it's sunny or when it's dark, how to take pictures of moving objects....I'd truly appreciate it. I'm trying my hardest to learn as quickly as I can before my good friend's rodeo this weekend so I can surprise them with the photos as a gift.
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Ariel Lepor |
You don't become a photography expert overnight. However, check out this thing I wrote about camera settings: http://scrattyphotography.wordpress.com/camera-settings/ Where it talks about modes, that is only for digital cameras, but the rest applies to film, too. Basically, your camera lens is for telephoto. I don't know a lot about film cameras, and you'd probably be better off with a digital point and shoot (or prosumer) for now. Other people can give you more info about film photography, but you can usually check Wikipedia for good info about lots of stuff. BTW: For action shots, you'd want a film with a high ISO (like 200 or 400) so you can get a fast shutter and freeze action. Don't zoom in too much or it will be hard to get the rodeo in the frame, and it will be more blurred.
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Andy |
Hi Megan, welcome to the photography world. If you don't already have the manual of the camera, go to this site and download one: http://ca.konicaminolta.com/support/manuals/film-cameras/film_mf_slr/xg_7/xg_7_manual.pdf Since this is a manual camera, you really have to "study" the manual if you have not used it before. Basically, you need to know how to load the film in the camera correctly, advance the film after you take a shot, and rewind the film and remove it from the camera after all the film are exposed. After you load the film, you need to set the ASA (or ISO) on the camera to match the film you are using. ASA (or ISO) is the sensitivity index of the film. The higher the number, the more sensitive. You need to match that on your camera so your camera can meter properly. For sports, generally you will need a high sensitive film, like the Kodak or Fuji 400 speed film. You can get thses films even in supermarket. Your lens is a fixed maximum aperture zoom lens. So I would suggest set it to the max. aperture at f3.5 and let the camera to pick up the shutter speed for you. If it's outdoor and sunny, then you may use smaller aperture (larger number, like f5.6 or f8) to increase depth-of-field (area that ensure your subject in acceptable focus). Focusing is a little tricky because it is a manual focus lens. Try to focus at a point that your subject would most likely get into. When your subject get into that point (or anywhere along that horizontal line), just click the shutter. You may get a few good photos. But don't expect too much because sport is a tough photographic subject and your limited experience with the equipment. DDon't worry too much. Just shoot a few rolls and have fun. I am still shooting film myself and have a few manual cameras. Although my cameras are not Minolta brand, the operations are very similar. If you still have question, just let us know. Hope this helps.
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Megan |
Thanks you guys! That really helps, as far as my time limit goes. I'm familiar on how to load, expose film....etc. I just don't know much beyond that. Changing the aperature is what confuses me most. I'll have to focus on the lines and numbers on the camera for a while to understand that [i'm sure:)] I'll download that manual for the camera. Again, many many thanks yous. =D
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Christopher A. Walrath |
Megan, a nice camera and a great one to start with. I would suggest that you get some simple literature, not like photography for dummies or anything like that because it will mostly focus on digital, not much help here. I mean something like Kodak's tips for better photography, an older small and simple book. A little more to chew off is Ansel Adams' 'The Camera' and 'The Negative' and there is a lot of info in those two and you can go at your own pace. CHeck out your local community college and see if they have film photography classes. Check out www.apug.org, a dedicated film users group. There are a lot of resources out there for information beyond the short answer. Good luck. And, if you want to find some good lenses, eBay rocks. Just do a search for 'minolta md mc' and see what comes up. Two or three good lenses and a few accessories and you have an indispensible camera system. Like mine. I have had a XG-M for ten years and many, many, many camera bodies with the same lens mounts, dozens of lenses, etc. I hope you enjoy it.
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