Anyone here good with cameras? I borrowed my bosses camera to take some good photos the other month and I loved how I could link to my laptop and do live view and adjust all the settings and balances before and after shooting, so I went and bought one with the view of learning it, it remained in the drawer for 3 months until I decided I better use it lol, I don't understand all the focal and aperture stuff, I have read up on it and I get the principal I just don't seem to get it right in practice and then I end up just clicking buttons to try and make it look decent, anyone know of a good online course or books to get? |
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camera settings basics small aperture ... high f stop sharper picture with greater depth of field but you need a slower exposure so fast things look blurred .. wide aperture .. low f stop shorter field of focus but higher speed exposure means you get a crisp frozen moment in time |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Rule #1 buy good glass
Rule #2 buy good glass
After that, switch it to auto with the flash disabled (usually anticlockwise to full auto) and let the camera do the hard work- they're actually pretty good at it. I only start doing manual adjustments now for things like long exposures, flash or ev compensation.
Basics settings you need to know though are
ISO is sensitivity to light so ISO 100 is low, 800 is a normal setting an the higher you go the quicker it will register that available light- but higher ISO settings are prone to noise.
F-stop. This is the iris or the hole the light comes through. The lower the setting the more light that is allowed to hit the film/sensor. This is also dependant on your lens as a f5.6 lens will stop at f5.6 regardless of your cameras lowest f setting- tfsts why f2.8 L lenses cost more and are more in demand than the higher f lenses.
The final main setting is shutter speed, the time the shutter is held open. The higher the setting the more stable the camera should be to prevent blur. For example, a setting of 1/4 is a quarter second, which is actually a long time in exposure terms.
All 3 of the above are linked, so depending on the light you have and the shot you want will determine what you set these too.
As I mentioned earlier, let the camera do the work but look at the settings it uses for each picture and get a feel for how they work together |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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This has been stiring my interest too. Been thinking about upgrading to an SLR. More posts on adjusting settings, features, tips and which cameras are descent would be good  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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There's quite a few good online magazine type sites. Digitalcameraworld.com is pretty good at explaining the basics and some of the more advanced techniques |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Always worth looking at Groupon... There's usually a local 1 day photography course every few weeks on ours. Went on one last year and get loads more out of our camera now, well recommended. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Just go out and shoot shoot shoot experiment with what does and does not work
Get a tripod and take the same pic on different settings you will be supprised by the results "
Sound advice.
I've just invested in some studio lighting and backgrounds etc. I've a few books to read etc but the best way I've learnt so far? Get the camera on the tripod, shoot the same picture over and over whilst going through all of the various setting options and compare pictures afterwards. You'll get a great understanding of how the settings affect each frame. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"And no there not under exposed. Taken at time of play without studio or enhanced lighting.  "
Exposures look perfectly fine to me... photographically....!!
Great pictures are still possible, under 'play' conditions, with a modern camera especially - or even a phone. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Read your manual. I seriously recommend learning how to use your camera manually and not relying on automatic.
If there's anything you still can't quite understand, then YouTube it. . There's a million and one tutorials on YouTube. .
you'll find once you've learned the very basics, it will all come together and there won't be any stopping you.
However, like someone said above, check Groupon out for photography classes. There's usually a bundle through my way for cheap every few weeks or so. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Your local F.E college will probably run some evening classes.
Or, for on-line, there are regular offers on Amazon Local for on-line digital photography courses. There are no officially accredited on-line courses but they are good as you can dip in and out when you wish.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"And no there not under exposed. Taken at time of play without studio or enhanced lighting.
Exposures look perfectly fine to me... photographically....!!
Great pictures are still possible, under 'play' conditions, with a modern camera especially - or even a phone."
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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".......all of the above & be sure to buy a Nikon 
First camera was a Nikon, found it way more clunky to use than Canon.....so glad I changed  "
Lets not....
Canon & Nikon are both good, but different. Both are better than most other systems, IMO. |
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When I started I used "the 35mm photographers handbook" a great book a lot of the theory still applies. It's available for a pittance on that rainforest themed internet bookshop.
It may well have been updated by now for the "digital" age.
Give it a look |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Just go out and shoot shoot shoot experiment with what does and does not work
Get a tripod and take the same pic on different settings you will be supprised by the results "
Totally agree with that! |
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"Believe it or not the cameras user manual has a lot of information about aperture, shutter and ISO "
This plus eg amateur photographer magazine and online. Look for beginners guides to the type of camera you're using. I'm a assuming a digital compact? I've also joined local camera club |
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