2001 R50 Pathfinder Build-up.
- Thread starter Weekender41
- Start date
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Nice write up and very cool shots!
Here's the basics:
Aperture is the adjustable opening that lets light in the lens. They are measured in f-stops. Higher f-stop means a smaller aperture, lower f-stop is a larger aperture. So, f/2.8 is very wide while f/16 is narrow. Aperture controls depth of field (how much of the photo is in focus). The wider the aperture (smaller f-stop), the less there is in focus. This is good for separating subjects from the background. It will make your subject sharp while your background is blurry. The smaller the aperture, the more there is in focus. This is good for landscapes. Keep in mind that the image will actually start to get fuzzy past f/16, so that's usually as far as I push it. The aperture also affects how much light goes through the lens and onto the sensor, so as you change the aperture, you'll need to adjust shutter speed. Wider apertures let in more light, which means a faster shutter speed. Narrower apertures let n less light, so it will slow down the shutter speed.
Shutter speed controls how long the sensor is exposed to light. It also manages how motion appears in the photos. Faster speeds will freeze motion, slower speeds will blur it. Set the shutter speed too low, and you'll see camera shake in the photo. A good rule of thumb to avoid this is to always shoot at or above the lens focal length (what mm the lens is). So, at 18mm, only shoot at or above 1/20 sec. At 55mm, shoot at or above 1/60 sec. This rule does depend on how steady your hands are. Shutter speed is usually what gets adjusted to adapt to lighting changes (it gets cludy, the sun sets, you go inside, or you change the ISO or aperture).
ISO controls how sensitive the sensor is to light. Higher ISO is more sensitive, lower ISO is less sensitive. 100 or 200 ISO is good for being outside during sunlight, 400 is good for clouds, early morning, or late afternoon. 800 is for dawn, dusk, or indoors. The darker it gets, the higher the ISO should go. Keep in mind that as you push the ISO higher, you introduce more digital noise. Noise will make the image less sharp, add splotches of color, and make the image less crisp. Take an image at 100 ISO, then take it at 3200 or 6400 to see what I mean. If you have an aperture you like, but you can't get a fast enough shutter speed, bump the ISO up. This will let you get the faster shutter speed.
In manual mode, the light meter will help you balance these settings. If you want to experiment with depth of fueld effects and figure out ISO, set the camera to aperture priority mode (A mode).This mode allows you to set ISO and aperture while the camera works out shutter speed.
Hope that helps!
Here's the basics:
Aperture is the adjustable opening that lets light in the lens. They are measured in f-stops. Higher f-stop means a smaller aperture, lower f-stop is a larger aperture. So, f/2.8 is very wide while f/16 is narrow. Aperture controls depth of field (how much of the photo is in focus). The wider the aperture (smaller f-stop), the less there is in focus. This is good for separating subjects from the background. It will make your subject sharp while your background is blurry. The smaller the aperture, the more there is in focus. This is good for landscapes. Keep in mind that the image will actually start to get fuzzy past f/16, so that's usually as far as I push it. The aperture also affects how much light goes through the lens and onto the sensor, so as you change the aperture, you'll need to adjust shutter speed. Wider apertures let in more light, which means a faster shutter speed. Narrower apertures let n less light, so it will slow down the shutter speed.
Shutter speed controls how long the sensor is exposed to light. It also manages how motion appears in the photos. Faster speeds will freeze motion, slower speeds will blur it. Set the shutter speed too low, and you'll see camera shake in the photo. A good rule of thumb to avoid this is to always shoot at or above the lens focal length (what mm the lens is). So, at 18mm, only shoot at or above 1/20 sec. At 55mm, shoot at or above 1/60 sec. This rule does depend on how steady your hands are. Shutter speed is usually what gets adjusted to adapt to lighting changes (it gets cludy, the sun sets, you go inside, or you change the ISO or aperture).
ISO controls how sensitive the sensor is to light. Higher ISO is more sensitive, lower ISO is less sensitive. 100 or 200 ISO is good for being outside during sunlight, 400 is good for clouds, early morning, or late afternoon. 800 is for dawn, dusk, or indoors. The darker it gets, the higher the ISO should go. Keep in mind that as you push the ISO higher, you introduce more digital noise. Noise will make the image less sharp, add splotches of color, and make the image less crisp. Take an image at 100 ISO, then take it at 3200 or 6400 to see what I mean. If you have an aperture you like, but you can't get a fast enough shutter speed, bump the ISO up. This will let you get the faster shutter speed.
In manual mode, the light meter will help you balance these settings. If you want to experiment with depth of fueld effects and figure out ISO, set the camera to aperture priority mode (A mode).This mode allows you to set ISO and aperture while the camera works out shutter speed.
Hope that helps!
Weekender41
Ready to Learn
Tom... I am putting that into a nice word document, laminating it and sticking it in my camera case. Thank you so much! Marty... haha yeah that was super nice of him. Maybe we can start getting photos as cool as his soon! haha
Weekender41
Ready to Learn
A small update
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So I have heard a lot about mounting the license plate to the roller fairlead of the winch but had yet to see photos. Well I did it. I used Mag Lite Mounts and seriously it is like the best thing. I would check to make sure there is no law about drilling through your license plate first but here in WY they just don't care. Anyways It was super simple and now protects the winch drum from road crap if it is raining or slushy outside. The gap it leaves is also perfect because I have a winch hook isolator coming which will hide the hook behind the license plate in a great fashion. You could use small bolts to hold it on but these screws cut their own thread through the mounts so the plate is very snug.
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Here's the pics.
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That last picture shows the gap really well for where the hook will be hidden. It snaps off during off road use and snaps on while daily driving. I will have to be careful during the winter time as the plastic would get very brittle but luckily the mounts were only like 4 dollars at sportsmen warehouse.
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Cheers
`
So I have heard a lot about mounting the license plate to the roller fairlead of the winch but had yet to see photos. Well I did it. I used Mag Lite Mounts and seriously it is like the best thing. I would check to make sure there is no law about drilling through your license plate first but here in WY they just don't care. Anyways It was super simple and now protects the winch drum from road crap if it is raining or slushy outside. The gap it leaves is also perfect because I have a winch hook isolator coming which will hide the hook behind the license plate in a great fashion. You could use small bolts to hold it on but these screws cut their own thread through the mounts so the plate is very snug.
`
Here's the pics.
`
That last picture shows the gap really well for where the hook will be hidden. It snaps off during off road use and snaps on while daily driving. I will have to be careful during the winter time as the plastic would get very brittle but luckily the mounts were only like 4 dollars at sportsmen warehouse.
`
Cheers
Weekender41
Ready to Learn
Recovery Box
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So a while back in this thread I mentioned having a hard case that was like a pelican case but not knowing what I would use it for... Well I found a use. I put all my recovery gear in it (still waiting on the snatch block).
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Heres the pics
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Farthest left is a 20,000lbs Tow Strap, then Bow Clevis with a 20,000lbs working load x2, then the winch controller, next a pair of gloves (not sure why everyone has leather, I use these to move stone all the time and they hold up better than leather), then this very short odd strap that doesn't have the load limit of anything on it so I will ho.d off on using it until I do. At the bottom is my new ARB Tree saver strap with a 30,000lbs working limit that I picked up from sportsman warehouse. I will put my snatch block in there and swap out the odd yellow strap for an arb snatch strap that sportsman warehouse has in stock. That should finish it off. The case in from TUNDRA Underwater Kinetics. It used to house a really old cam-corded that we had.
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Im a fan so far.
`
Cheers
`
So a while back in this thread I mentioned having a hard case that was like a pelican case but not knowing what I would use it for... Well I found a use. I put all my recovery gear in it (still waiting on the snatch block).
`
Heres the pics
`
`
Farthest left is a 20,000lbs Tow Strap, then Bow Clevis with a 20,000lbs working load x2, then the winch controller, next a pair of gloves (not sure why everyone has leather, I use these to move stone all the time and they hold up better than leather), then this very short odd strap that doesn't have the load limit of anything on it so I will ho.d off on using it until I do. At the bottom is my new ARB Tree saver strap with a 30,000lbs working limit that I picked up from sportsman warehouse. I will put my snatch block in there and swap out the odd yellow strap for an arb snatch strap that sportsman warehouse has in stock. That should finish it off. The case in from TUNDRA Underwater Kinetics. It used to house a really old cam-corded that we had.
`
Im a fan so far.
`
Cheers
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Kyle, glad to help in any way that I can! Keep working with the camera and practicing with the different settings. The main thing is to have fun and be creative. I like your composition too, you seem to have a good grasp of it. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.
That license plate mount is a great idea! I have seen the actual brackets that are madeto hold the plate and have the clips on them, but I never would have thought of a mag-lite mount drilled into the plate. Brilliant!
That license plate mount is a great idea! I have seen the actual brackets that are madeto hold the plate and have the clips on them, but I never would have thought of a mag-lite mount drilled into the plate. Brilliant!
Camelfilter
Explorer
+1 on the Mag Light mounts as a great idea! Nice.
-Should you find that the plastic does get too brittle in the winter, you might see if metal conduit hanger would work as well. I don't know if it will, but there are different sizes.
Something like such: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Raco-1-in-2-Conduit-Hanger-with-Bolt-2054-20/203671720
My winch has one of those Hawes fairleads, so my plate holder has plastic c-clips similar to the Mag Light holders, but "pop" into the fairlead. I'll likely switch over to the conduit hangers should my plastic clips break.
-Should you find that the plastic does get too brittle in the winter, you might see if metal conduit hanger would work as well. I don't know if it will, but there are different sizes.
Something like such: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Raco-1-in-2-Conduit-Hanger-with-Bolt-2054-20/203671720
My winch has one of those Hawes fairleads, so my plate holder has plastic c-clips similar to the Mag Light holders, but "pop" into the fairlead. I'll likely switch over to the conduit hangers should my plastic clips break.
Weekender41
Ready to Learn
Whoa man I work at Lowe's, don't be posting Home Depot links haha. I know what you are saying. I have looked into that but would coat them in plasti dip before attaching them that way it doesn't burr up the fairlead. I have some at the house. Thanks for checking out the thread!
Camelfilter
Explorer
Haha, no offense intended!
Great idea on P-dipping them, didn't even think of that. I'll file that idea away if I need them, thanks.
-Nice build! I miss my Pathy, but sold it to folks up the block. At least I get to see it now & again & that they're getting good use out of it!
Great idea on P-dipping them, didn't even think of that. I'll file that idea away if I need them, thanks.
-Nice build! I miss my Pathy, but sold it to folks up the block. At least I get to see it now & again & that they're getting good use out of it!
Weekender41
Ready to Learn
Thank you! I am buying a dd so the pathy will get some off road goodies I didnt originally plan since it will be used for trips only. Yes I have, front and 30 degree side pulls. A slight uphill with both sides and I have yet to try downhill (thats going to be the hardest on my brackets due to their shape so I kinda want to wait till I have the front skid done to stiffen that up.
Weekender41
Ready to Learn
Glad I could help! I am on the phone right now so cant tell.. What do you drive now? At least its not sitting in a for sale lot like the truck my dad sold to this guy.
Weekender41
Ready to Learn
Beautiful, you're making us all look bad by getting out so much
Haha hardly! Did you see Stioc's recent report. I have yet to take a trip with another vehicle :/
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Tellin' ya dude, you gotta come up this way!