AboutKent Staubus Expertise I am an experienced outdoor photographer that sometimes sells photo`s on a free lance basis. My knowledge base includes 35mm, medium format, landscapes, wildlife photo`s, and rural subjects such as country churches and farmers/ranchers/ hunters.
Expert: Kent Staubus Date: 7/4/2008 Subject: Cameras
Question QUESTION: I use a Cannon Power Shot Pro 1, and wasn't sure if I would be able to take photos of butterflies in motion as if they were still, or clear single drops of water, etc. Those are the types of things I'd like to try next, but don't know how fast the shutter speed would need to be, or if my camera would need to be more sensitive to light, etc. Any ideas?
ANSWER: It's difficult to catch butterflies in motion, and I think it would be difficult to do with a point & shoot camera. Part of the problem is I'm not sure you could get a fast enough shutter speed, and if the camera would be able to focus fast enough. I like shutter speeds of about 1/1000 to 1/2000 second for that kind of thing. Water drops just require that the lens can focus closely. This is called "macro." If you are talking about splashing drops of water, that is captured by using high speed flash. Both of these are very difficult subjects for point & shoot cameras, which are designed to take snapshots of people etc. Might not be impossible though, just very difficult.
Kent in SD
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QUESTION: If not a "point and shoot" camera, what other types of cameras exist? I think my camera can do 1/1000 and 1/2000 shutter speeds. What is a high speed flash? I think my camera can do Macros but I don't know what that is on cameras or computers assuming they're the same thing.
ANSWER: 1. A point & shoot is a camera that is small and doesn't take interchangeable lenses. The alternative is a DSLR, such as a Nikon D50. Those are pretty good and very cheap on eBay--about $300 used.
2. High speed flash is anywhere from 1/1000 second to 1/10,000 second. The flash only lasts that long. In a dark room, the shutter speed of the camera becomes unimportant because in effect the short burst of light acts like your shutter speed.
3. Macro basically has come to mean the ability to focus up close, such as within 12 inches. It's a specialty kind of photography that can be difficult for several reasons. It's hard to get the photos sharp is the main one.
4. Flying butterflies would be difficult because they are very small, they are moving, and this is all a big challenge for a camera and lens. There is an article in the current issue of Shutterbug magazine (August 2008) about doing it, but it assumes you have some expensive gear. You could do what you want with a used Nikon D50, 70-300mm lens, and maybe a used SB-25 flash. The best time to practice on butterflies is early in the morning, before they wake up and get warm. They are cold blooded, after all.
There might be a way to use your Canon and get these shots, using a flash hooked up to an optical slave. It makes the big flash go off when the little flash on the camera fires. I'm not that familiar with the Power Shot though.
Good luck!
Kent in SD
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QUESTION: I will have to check my camera to see if it has a high speed flash. Would you say a point and shoot is better or worst than a DSLR? You say the used Nikon is $300? My Power Shot cost me nearly $1,000. I think my camera has a special function for close focusing.
Answer It took me a little while to do some research. Here's my thoughts. The Canon Pro 1 is a good camera for family outings, snapshots, and travel. It has a lot of controls in a small package. The down side is you are really pusing it hard to do what you are trying. The autofocus is a bit slow to catch moving butterflies--something the camera was not designed for. As a plus it does have a hot shoe for flash meaning you could mount a radio transmitter on it to fire a handheld flash. That set up would cost some more money though, about $125 would be a minimum. A flash would freeze movement well but there is a learning curve to it. The flash is just about mandatory for the drops of water deal (if you are talking about drops that are moving anyway.) If you are talking about taking photos of drops that aren't moving, your camera can do that. I would use a tripod though. If you don't have a macro setting on the camera you might be able to find a screw on macro lens adapter that in effect acts like a magnifying glass. That would do the job for sure and is relatively cheap. The two things you are wanting do are a highly specialized kind of photography, and it's generally easier to do with more specialized gear. I think this is where your frustration is coming from.
