Photography

I need help with my Olympus e-400 DSLR?

Ok, so I have had this camera for quite a while now but haven’t really used it to it’s full potential. It has the standard 14-42mm lens. I want to get into doing wedding photography and portraits, only low key for friends etc but I’m not sure what lens I should be using. Also the flash flickers and tends to blind people, is there anyway of changing the setting?

You need a much better flash arrangement, plus perhaps a slightly longer lens than 42mm for portraiture (although because of the four-thirds sensor, it equates to 84mm in the old 35mm film days, and 80mm was the normal focal length for fixed portrait lenses). The real issue is maximum aperture – the f/5.6 is pathetic as a maximum aperture at that focal length. A pro portrait lens would be f/2, a full three stops faster [1]. There is an Olympus lens [2], but at £2000 it’s not going to be in your current budget – hopefully they’ll be a Sigma, Tamron or similar lens.

I spent £70 on a Sigma flash [an earlier version of 3] for my Nikon. It has an auto-zoom head to match the lens, plus bounce and pan head. That’s the very minimum you’re going to need, as I often find it lacks power with it’s Guide Number [4] of 35. If you spot pro-wedding photogs you’ll often see them using a large add-on reflector gadget on the top of the flash as well – at the very minimum, something like [5]. It’s all about having lots of power and then spreading it as gently as you can.

For wedding tips, try reading [6] and then come back to us with any matters arising.

A soft focus filter was standard in a pro’s bag, but you can probably Photoshop or Gimp the image afterwards these days.

Photography Tips : How to Install a Lens Filter

Opteka SB-110 Universal Gel Softbox Diffuser for External Camera Flash Units (Includes Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, Amber & Pink Gels) $14.95 The Opteka SB-110 includes an assortment of six colored gels: Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, Amber & Pink. The filter holder is designed to fit most flash models. The SB-110 enables a photographer to quickly and conveniently colorize the light for a variety of special effect applications….

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