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UER Forum > UE Photography > any tips for urbex camera settings?? (Viewed 8897 times)
rampantscyther 


Location: Winnipeg, MB
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any tips for urbex camera settings??
< on 3/24/2014 2:50 AM >
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hey guys, so I just picked up a new camera for exploring shots! pretty stoked its a wicked camera, and I was told its great for urbex.

its the fuji x-e1 with the 18-55mm XF zoom lens. beauty of a camera, and all ive ever known for photography of any kind is the 8mp camera on my phone :p so im sure this is an upgrade

1.

gorgeous :p alas, my problem now is that I have NO idea how to use it properly. never had to set up anything on a camera before so im screwwwwwed lol.

I know the main things an explorer needs to set on their camera for those beautiful pictures is the ISO settings, focal length, and exposure length. no idea what to set them at lol. ive tried playing with it and just get blur, grainy, or black pictures. I have a tripod so I can do long exposures.

ive also heard bracketed photos are big for urbex. what are those???

im literally a camera newb its brutal. any general urbex photography tips, or specific tips for my camera would be amazing thanks everyone






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Steed 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 1 on 3/24/2014 3:08 AM >
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Learn how to use it outside of UE settings. You need to at least be comfortable with shutter speed and aperture. Especially if you're using a tripod, you should always keep the ISO number low. An easy cheat to figure out the right settings is to set the camera on automatic and see what settings it settles on, then go over to manual and start from those numbers. A camera's automatic settings are about as useless as MS Word spellcheck though, so move on from there.




cdevon 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 2 on 3/24/2014 3:13 AM >
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I feel so potato now. thanks Steed.




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sQualie 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 3 on 3/24/2014 3:25 AM >
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PorkyMcCaw 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 4 on 3/24/2014 1:15 PM >
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Sweet camera though! A bunch of my friends who are dedicated amateurs and even pros are ditching their DSLRs for the Fuji mirrorless cameras. They're a lot lighter to carry which is especially good for UE!




phrenzee 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 5 on 3/24/2014 10:20 PM >
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- use a tripod
- set your camera to 2-second timer to avoid camera shake
- 100 ISO (or less)
- use auto exposure until you are more familiar with the camera.
- turn on bracketing. Even if you don't intend to blend your shots, you can use the one that is exposed the best




Wong Guy 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 6 on 3/24/2014 11:22 PM >
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Everyone mentioned what I would do.

I recently got a new camera few days ago as well. 290 shots taken so far. 211 shots were just in my house ( play with your settings at home where you have access to the manual and comp. to learn how to get to settings and change it ( and see the results ) all in your PJs ).

I've also taken bathroom shots... no.. not for selfies !!!
but to test out low light no light focusing and settings. I use the bathroom door to let light in barely into the bathroom to play with low light shooting/focusing/ISO. Then fully close bathroom door for virtually no light test shots. Easier to test those out at home and get a good idea on how your camera reacts, then to be excited at an explore and find out most of the pics turned out bad cause of improper settings.

Edit: I used my bathroom cause it was one of the few rooms thats not cluttered and doesn't have any windows to let street light stray light in while testing. Only the light I control with the door and flashlight.



[last edit 3/24/2014 11:25 PM by Wong Guy - edited 1 times]

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NotQuiteHuman 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 7 on 3/25/2014 12:48 AM >
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Learn about ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and how they work together. These are the 3 factors that determine your exposure.

In low light situations, always try to use a tripod and the lowest ISO you can. Use the timer or get a remote to reduce camera shake from pressing the button. Use a bright flashlight to light up you subject to help your camera focus on it, then turn it to manual focus without moving the camera (or just use manual focus in live view).

I pretty much always start on aperture priority, since I don't care too much about shutter speed when I'm on a tripod. If the lighting is complicated, I take a test shot and check the histogram to see if there are any highlights or shadows that have been clipped. If there are highlights and I don't want there to be any, I go into manual and adjust or I bracket the exposure.

SHOOT IN RAW! You'd be surprised how little you actually need to resort to bracketing with the amount of detail you can get from a single raw file.

If things in your frame are moving, you may have to adjust your shutter speed to get the desired effect. Things like cars driving by and moving clouds are really cool with long shutter speeds. If you need to freeze the movement, don't be too afraid to turn up the ISO. A little grain is better than a blurry picture.




[last edit 3/25/2014 12:52 AM by NotQuiteHuman - edited 1 times]

PorkyMcCaw 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 8 on 3/25/2014 1:43 AM >
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Posted by NotQuiteHuman


SHOOT IN RAW! You'd be surprised how little you actually need to resort to bracketing with the amount of detail you can get from a single raw file.




Just make sure you have the adequate software to process RAW files! Without it they will do you no good!





rob.i.am 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 9 on 3/25/2014 1:44 AM >
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Posted by phrenzee
- use a tripod
- set your camera to 2-second timer to avoid camera shake
- 100 ISO (or less)
- use auto exposure until you are more familiar with the camera.
- turn on bracketing. Even if you don't intend to blend your shots, you can use the one that is exposed the best


This.




http://www.flickr.com/photos/rob666/
rampantscyther 


Location: Winnipeg, MB
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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 10 on 3/25/2014 5:20 AM >
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wicked! you guys are freaking, AWESOME!! thank you all!

Posted by phrenzee
- use a tripod
- set your camera to 2-second timer to avoid camera shake
- 100 ISO (or less)
- use auto exposure until you are more familiar with the camera.
- turn on bracketing. Even if you don't intend to blend your shots, you can use the one that is exposed the best


this is probably where I will start in the field. I am going to also do the test shots at my house. learning how the camera reacts in my bedroom with different light and stuff will be the same as an abandoned bedroom lol.

bracketing. how do you blend the shots? is this something you can do on the camera? I have GIMP photo editor on my computer. I have also been recomended to try bracketed photos by one of my fave urbex photographers in instagram so this is definitely something I want to try.

also. thank you sQualie for this

Posted by sQualie
Aperture 101

Shutter 101

ISO 101


excellent. thanks again everyone




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rampantscyther 


Location: Winnipeg, MB
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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 11 on 3/25/2014 5:22 AM >
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Posted by Steed
An easy cheat to figure out the right settings is to set the camera on automatic and see what settings it settles on, then go over to manual and start from those numbers.


this is awesome too! def going to experiment with this too




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phrenzee 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 12 on 3/25/2014 10:41 AM >
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Posted by rampantscyther
bracketing. how do you blend the shots? is this something you can do on the camera?


I use Photomatix.




RiddimRyder 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 13 on 3/25/2014 1:47 PM >
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Here's an exploring tip not related to camera settings...bring TP!




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mhester 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 14 on 3/25/2014 4:03 PM >
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Posted by PorkyMcCaw
Sweet camera though! A bunch of my friends who are dedicated amateurs and even pros are ditching their DSLRs for the Fuji mirrorless cameras. They're a lot lighter to carry which is especially good for UE!


Tell me about it they are nice guns. My 6D with lens and battery attachment is a brick around my neck lol.




Long time Urban explorer, who wants to push my love for the abandoned world into the art community.
rampantscyther 


Location: Winnipeg, MB
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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 15 on 3/30/2014 3:30 AM >
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I know I love it, it is so light around my neck, feels amazing in my hand came with a nice thumb thing to help with grip/comfort, and now that Im getting used to it the pictures come out crystal clear its actually wild lol.

you guys are all going to hate me, but the best part is is I actually picked it up for $130. gotta love waiting and finding a good sale :p




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PorkyMcCaw 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 16 on 3/30/2014 2:36 PM >
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Posted by rampantscyther
but the best part is is I actually picked it up for $130. gotta love waiting and finding a good sale :p


Damn.




Cbast1en 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 17 on 4/8/2014 11:28 PM >
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The best thing you can learn about photographing abandoned buildings is.. STAY AWAY FROM HDR, the autotune of the photographic world




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siper 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 18 on 4/9/2014 12:43 AM >
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1. Get this book. Read it cover to cover.
http://www.amazon....=1397003256&sr=1-5

2. Once you've done that, you should read this (shameless self promotion):
http://www.peachpi...oned-9780133816761
I'll send it to you for free if you PM me.

3. Don't shy away from HDR. Most people who bash it either don't know how to do it themselves or have only seen it abused.
Key takeaway:
HDR used properly =


HDR used improperly =




Want to improve your photography?
Flickr
rob.i.am 


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Re: any tips for urbex camera settings??
< Reply # 19 on 4/9/2014 12:52 AM >
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Posted by siper

2. Once you've done that, you should read this (shameless self promotion):
http://www.peachpi...oned-9780133816761
I'll send it to you for free if you PM me.



That's cool.




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UER Forum > UE Photography > any tips for urbex camera settings?? (Viewed 8897 times)
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