When it comes to taking pictures for dentistry, one of the most common questions I get is along the lines of, “How do I know which settings to use for the different kinds of pictures?” Since most dentists, as well as their staff members, are not professional photographers, the DSLR cameras I recommend often seem big and really complicated.
Here’s the truth: once you get the basic settings written down and memorized, there will only be ONE setting that you have to change on the camera body, which basically means that the big, complicated-looking, fancy camera you’re holding will be turned into a POINT & SHOOT camera, and about everyone can deal with that.
So what settings do you need to use? Using the KISS Principle, here you go:
FULL FACE:
- ISO 200
- Shutter speed 1/200
- f-stop f/8.0
EVERYTHING ELSE:
- ISO 200
- Shutter speed 1/200
- f-stop f/25
As you can see, the ONLY setting you really need to change of the 3 is the f/stop. See, I told you it would be easy!
Soon I’ll be giving a more detailed explanation of what those settings mean, as well as a few other settings to round out the complete list that you need to make dental photography truly simple.
Sorry I missed your question, Tony; I can't figure out how to get Blogger to send me an email or something when a comment is posted.
Anyway, since we use a ring flash at pretty short distances, the settings usually do not need to change unless the room gets significantly darker.
If there is a BIG change in lightness or darkness in the room, it's easier/better to simply turn the flash down a couple notches.
These settings sound like a good place to start, assuming you have the same quality of light. What setting would you adjust if the setting becomes darker? Lighter?