8 ms·

SLR Camera Simulator

134 points by johnx123-up 14y ago

japhyr 14y ago
This is pretty cool, but the swaying girl gets a little creepy after spending any time on the site. Are there any other scenes available? It would be nice to have a "Change Scene" button.
Bob_Sheep 14y ago
It needs to give you the ability to use flash lighting. Then you could learn about how you can use flash to give a scene a completely different look, for example by using a wide aperture and short exposure to get the girl properly illuminated but have the background look very dark. This works because the flash delivers all its light in a very short period of time so it is completely unaffected by the shutter speed. So once the flash power and aperture are set to give a proper exposure on the subject the shutter speed can be adjusted to give different levels of background illumination.
- 5h 14y ago
  not what your after, but http://www.zvork.fr/vls/ http://www.zvork.fr/vls/ is fun if you like playing with low key / gels etc
lusr 14y ago
One thing that would be invaluable simulating is a variable aperture lens rather than this constant f/2.8 simulation. My girlfriend just got her first DSLR and was struggling with changing the aperture. While she understood the concepts, she wasn't familiar with working with a DSLR alone and since I wasn't physically present, it took me a while to realise over the phone she'd been changing the aperture by changing the focal length of the lens. (The D5100 has a pretty crappy and unintuitive control combination for setting aperture.) Had I been able to point her to a simulation like this it would have been clear to her that she needed a distinct method of setting aperture.
- Tloewald 14y ago
  What? To set aperture on a D5100 switch to A and use the command dial. (Shooting in Manual mode is simply torturing yourself unnecessarily if you don't know exactly what you're doing. In Aperture priority — or Program shift — setting aperture is simple and intuitive.)
  - lusr 14y ago
    In manual mode it's not that simple from what I could glean (haven't touched a D5100 myself). You have to half depress the shutter release, simultaneously press the exposure compensation button and only then you can adjust the aperture with the command dial (otherwise you'll just change shutter speed). That's pretty crummy IMO and rather elaborate for a beginner. My D7000 is more straightforward since it has a separate dial for this and no need to half depress the shutter release. (I assume you can also change the settings using the LCD, but that's of no use if you're looking through the viewfinder and trying to set manual exposure.)
    - subhro 14y ago
      lusr, that is extremely non intuitive for sure. Have you checked in Nikon addressed this in a later firmware release?
      - lusr 14y ago
        Looking at the manual you apparently don't have to half depress the shutter, just the exposure compensation button (which has an aperture symbol next to it), but other websites suggest you do have to. I'll look into it when I can see the camera in person in a few weeks.
        naitbit 14y ago
        I'm pretty sure that you don't have to touch shutter in manual mode. I have d5100 so I can make sure in the evening if you want confirmation.
    - 14y ago
crazcarl 14y ago
This is neat. I like the advice that you give when the pictures are bad, but it took me a little while to get from "this picture is OK, but kind of blurry" to a good one. I guess I can't expect to pick up a SLR and get a good one on my first try!
- slantyyz 14y ago
  Yeah, you probably can pick up an SLR and get a decent shot on your first try, especially if you use the Automatic mode.
Tloewald 14y ago
Is this the same SLR simulator I saw a couple of years back? Can't tell because it's Flash. Seems to me like DSLRs don't really need simulators. Pick up a DSLR, dial it to P or green or whatever, and go. It's simpler and more responsive than a point and shoot, just bigger and heavier. (My four year olds love using my smaller DSLR and have less trouble using it than a small P&S.) Anyone wanting to learn the fine points of photography can learn them at their leisure once the key point — using a DSLR is EASIER than using a point and shoot — is absorbed, and simulators that overload the user with information are probably counter-productive.
- 5h 14y ago
  While I agree, there is no shortcut to simply picking up a camera and getting a few thousand shutter actuations to learn whats what (and most definitely not on green box mode if learning is the intention), some demonstrations like pulling two instances of this up and putting distance/focal length at opposite extremes in each to show the compression of the compression of the backdrop work very well.
- lusr 14y ago
  Where it has value, I think, is giving people a reference for the number of important variables. Modern DSLRs are covered in controls and symbols and modes, etc. and I believe for a beginner it can be quite overwhelming. Having just these key factors in mind when shooting could plausibly give a beginner the right set of variables to focus on without being distracted by all the other fluff. That being said, I absolutely agree that the only way to learn photography is to get out there and shoot.
  - slantyyz 14y ago
    >> the only way to learn photography is to get out there and shoot. Mostly agree, but I see there as being two parts of photography. The art, which is seeing, composing, etc. For that, you do have to just get out and shoot. The craft, which is knowing what settings to use and when. You can learn this by trial and error by "just going out and shooting", but having someone teach you, reading about it, or using an app that demonstrates what happens with a settings change will not only save time, but make the time spent shooting that much more productive.
anjc 14y ago
Good implementation of a good idea. It'd be extra good if there were various scenarios to photograph. E.g. a race car in motion, a dark indoor scene.
willyt 14y ago
Why not show the result in real time as you adjust the sliders? You can still show the preview off to one side or whatever. It would help develop a tighter iterative loop for experimenting and save the cognitive overhead of trying to remember what was wrong with the one before. Have some image 'troughs' which you can populate with screen grabs including the settings you used to allow quick reference to settings from previous results. If you did that then there would be more of an argument for using this rather than just picking up a DSLR and fiddling with the controls.
- __alexs 14y ago
  > You can still show the preview off to one side or whatever. It would help develop a tighter iterative loop for experimenting and save the cognitive overhead of trying to remember what was wrong with the one before. ITYM, "Why doesn't this SLR camera have burst mode?"
- javanix 14y ago
  Many cameras (including mine) do not have an LCD that accurately reflects shutter speed or ISO settings.
- MBCook 14y ago
  I agree, that actually surprised me a bit. With a real SLR, some adjustments are immediately obvious. When you change the aperture, the view becomes brighter/dimmer and the depth of field changes. Some, like shutter speed, don't make a difference until you hit the button, but it would have been nice to see the DOF changes in real time. Still, a great little tool. Very handy.
  - thingie 14y ago
    On most DSLRs, I believe, you have to press a DOF-preview button (whatever it's called), instead, it remains wide open making it easier/possible to accurately focus using the viewfinder. Focus is what I miss most in this simulator, it leaves out a very important part of taking of the picture… And of course, there is virtually no way to reflect the ISO or shutter speed setting, using the optical viewfinder. Not a bad idea to "simulate" here as well, because it's not funny to shoot in the aperture-first mode and forget to reset ISO from some ridiculously high value that you had to use yesterday in the evening.
deepGem 14y ago
Presume this is a tool for point and shoot guys to figure out what a SLR feels like. If you can add a shutter half-click simulation - have an out of focus element and bring that to focus with the shutter half-click, that'll be awesome.
alanfalcon 14y ago
Likely it's just that I'm pretty dense about certain subjects, but I had a hard time grasping the basics of photography until I watched this ten minute video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-NhJua5NFA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-NhJua5NFA The relationships between the basic elements of exposure seem so straightforward now.
novalis 14y ago
Congrats on the cool project, I've never seen one done before and I understand how this would be of value to someone starting out that doesn't have access to the real deal. I think this must have been fun to develop and it shows. I can see great value in specific cases, for young kids to get a grasp at the joy of getting good photo results while experimenting. The experimentation factor is always a plus for interactivity and you showed good use of the tech to accomplish that.
trafficone 14y ago
This would have been great when I was paying for film in my SLR.
jasimq 14y ago
Being a new DSLR user, I see this as a great learning tool.

134 points by johnx123-up 14y ago

This is pretty cool, but the swaying girl gets a little creepy after spending any time on the site. Are there any other scenes available? It would be nice to have a "Change Scene" button.

Bob_Sheep 14y ago

It needs to give you the ability to use flash lighting. Then you could learn about how you can use flash to give a scene a completely different look, for example by using a wide aperture and short exposure to get the girl properly illuminated but have the background look very dark. This works because the flash delivers all its light in a very short period of time so it is completely unaffected by the shutter speed. So once the flash power and aperture are set to give a proper exposure on the subject the shutter speed can be adjusted to give different levels of background illumination.

5h 14y ago
not what your after, but http://www.zvork.fr/vls/ http://www.zvork.fr/vls/ is fun if you like playing with low key / gels etc

lusr 14y ago

One thing that would be invaluable simulating is a variable aperture lens rather than this constant f/2.8 simulation. My girlfriend just got her first DSLR and was struggling with changing the aperture. While she understood the concepts, she wasn't familiar with working with a DSLR alone and since I wasn't physically present, it took me a while to realise over the phone she'd been changing the aperture by changing the focal length of the lens. (The D5100 has a pretty crappy and unintuitive control combination for setting aperture.) Had I been able to point her to a simulation like this it would have been clear to her that she needed a distinct method of setting aperture.

Tloewald 14y ago
What? To set aperture on a D5100 switch to A and use the command dial. (Shooting in Manual mode is simply torturing yourself unnecessarily if you don't know exactly what you're doing. In Aperture priority — or Program shift — setting aperture is simple and intuitive.)
- lusr 14y ago
  In manual mode it's not that simple from what I could glean (haven't touched a D5100 myself). You have to half depress the shutter release, simultaneously press the exposure compensation button and only then you can adjust the aperture with the command dial (otherwise you'll just change shutter speed). That's pretty crummy IMO and rather elaborate for a beginner. My D7000 is more straightforward since it has a separate dial for this and no need to half depress the shutter release. (I assume you can also change the settings using the LCD, but that's of no use if you're looking through the viewfinder and trying to set manual exposure.)
  - subhro 14y ago
    lusr, that is extremely non intuitive for sure. Have you checked in Nikon addressed this in a later firmware release?
    - lusr 14y ago
      Looking at the manual you apparently don't have to half depress the shutter, just the exposure compensation button (which has an aperture symbol next to it), but other websites suggest you do have to. I'll look into it when I can see the camera in person in a few weeks.
      - naitbit 14y ago
        I'm pretty sure that you don't have to touch shutter in manual mode. I have d5100 so I can make sure in the evening if you want confirmation.
  - 14y ago

crazcarl 14y ago

This is neat. I like the advice that you give when the pictures are bad, but it took me a little while to get from "this picture is OK, but kind of blurry" to a good one. I guess I can't expect to pick up a SLR and get a good one on my first try!

slantyyz 14y ago
Yeah, you probably can pick up an SLR and get a decent shot on your first try, especially if you use the Automatic mode.

Tloewald 14y ago

Is this the same SLR simulator I saw a couple of years back? Can't tell because it's Flash. Seems to me like DSLRs don't really need simulators. Pick up a DSLR, dial it to P or green or whatever, and go. It's simpler and more responsive than a point and shoot, just bigger and heavier. (My four year olds love using my smaller DSLR and have less trouble using it than a small P&S.) Anyone wanting to learn the fine points of photography can learn them at their leisure once the key point — using a DSLR is EASIER than using a point and shoot — is absorbed, and simulators that overload the user with information are probably counter-productive.

5h 14y ago
While I agree, there is no shortcut to simply picking up a camera and getting a few thousand shutter actuations to learn whats what (and most definitely not on green box mode if learning is the intention), some demonstrations like pulling two instances of this up and putting distance/focal length at opposite extremes in each to show the compression of the compression of the backdrop work very well.
lusr 14y ago
Where it has value, I think, is giving people a reference for the number of important variables. Modern DSLRs are covered in controls and symbols and modes, etc. and I believe for a beginner it can be quite overwhelming. Having just these key factors in mind when shooting could plausibly give a beginner the right set of variables to focus on without being distracted by all the other fluff. That being said, I absolutely agree that the only way to learn photography is to get out there and shoot.
- slantyyz 14y ago
  >> the only way to learn photography is to get out there and shoot. Mostly agree, but I see there as being two parts of photography. The art, which is seeing, composing, etc. For that, you do have to just get out and shoot. The craft, which is knowing what settings to use and when. You can learn this by trial and error by "just going out and shooting", but having someone teach you, reading about it, or using an app that demonstrates what happens with a settings change will not only save time, but make the time spent shooting that much more productive.

anjc 14y ago

Good implementation of a good idea. It'd be extra good if there were various scenarios to photograph. E.g. a race car in motion, a dark indoor scene.

willyt 14y ago

Why not show the result in real time as you adjust the sliders? You can still show the preview off to one side or whatever. It would help develop a tighter iterative loop for experimenting and save the cognitive overhead of trying to remember what was wrong with the one before. Have some image 'troughs' which you can populate with screen grabs including the settings you used to allow quick reference to settings from previous results. If you did that then there would be more of an argument for using this rather than just picking up a DSLR and fiddling with the controls.

__alexs 14y ago
> You can still show the preview off to one side or whatever. It would help develop a tighter iterative loop for experimenting and save the cognitive overhead of trying to remember what was wrong with the one before. ITYM, "Why doesn't this SLR camera have burst mode?"
javanix 14y ago
Many cameras (including mine) do not have an LCD that accurately reflects shutter speed or ISO settings.
MBCook 14y ago
I agree, that actually surprised me a bit. With a real SLR, some adjustments are immediately obvious. When you change the aperture, the view becomes brighter/dimmer and the depth of field changes. Some, like shutter speed, don't make a difference until you hit the button, but it would have been nice to see the DOF changes in real time. Still, a great little tool. Very handy.
- thingie 14y ago
  On most DSLRs, I believe, you have to press a DOF-preview button (whatever it's called), instead, it remains wide open making it easier/possible to accurately focus using the viewfinder. Focus is what I miss most in this simulator, it leaves out a very important part of taking of the picture… And of course, there is virtually no way to reflect the ISO or shutter speed setting, using the optical viewfinder. Not a bad idea to "simulate" here as well, because it's not funny to shoot in the aperture-first mode and forget to reset ISO from some ridiculously high value that you had to use yesterday in the evening.

deepGem 14y ago

Presume this is a tool for point and shoot guys to figure out what a SLR feels like. If you can add a shutter half-click simulation - have an out of focus element and bring that to focus with the shutter half-click, that'll be awesome.

alanfalcon 14y ago

Likely it's just that I'm pretty dense about certain subjects, but I had a hard time grasping the basics of photography until I watched this ten minute video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-NhJua5NFA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-NhJua5NFA The relationships between the basic elements of exposure seem so straightforward now.

novalis 14y ago

Congrats on the cool project, I've never seen one done before and I understand how this would be of value to someone starting out that doesn't have access to the real deal. I think this must have been fun to develop and it shows. I can see great value in specific cases, for young kids to get a grasp at the joy of getting good photo results while experimenting. The experimentation factor is always a plus for interactivity and you showed good use of the tech to accomplish that.

trafficone 14y ago

This would have been great when I was paying for film in my SLR.

jasimq 14y ago

Being a new DSLR user, I see this as a great learning tool.