Beginner Advice for Basic Settings to get started & for Everyday Use

Joe94

Joe94

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Hello, I am totally new to the world of photography & have an Olympus OMD-EM5 Mark III with a 12-40 Pro Lens.

I'm trying to learn my way around using the camera manually, however I wondered if anyone could offer some advice as to what settings I should be using as a base for A) beginning with & B) to use for example in an everyday situation like holiday snaps where I may not have the time to change the setting each time.

I was looking for base setting for: Aperture / Shutter speed / ISO etc...

Many Thanks :)
 
There's always auto.

Or I'd start with base ISO (200 I believe on the 5iii). Then personally I'd set it to aperture priority, set the apperture to suit the depth of field you require and let the camera look after shutter speed. If the shutter speed is looking too low and will introduce camera shake or subject blur then increase the iso or open up the apperture (or both) to gain a faster shutter. Also have IS switched on which will enable a much slower shutter speed before camera shake becomes a problem.
 
popcorn said:
There's always auto.

Or I'd start with base ISO (200 I believe on the 5iii). Then personally I'd set it to aperture priority, set the apperture to suit the depth of field you require and let the camera look after shutter speed. If the shutter speed is looking too low and will introduce camera shake or subject blur then increase the iso or open up the apperture (or both) to gain a faster shutter. Also have IS switched on which will enable a much slower shutter speed before camera shake becomes a problem.
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Thank you for this, very much appreciated and very helpful. Just as an added question, what would you recommend as a starting point for aperture, for this kind of everyday use?

Thanks again, I think the Forum is going to be very helpful for me :)
 
On a nice bright day, you might find f8 a good place to start.
 
dekeyboy said:
On a nice bright day, you might find f8 a good place to start.
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Brilliant, Thank you!

If anyone else has any other good tips or sites for good beginners guides, I would be very much appreciative :) Thanks again :)
 
Don't get hung up on manual there are times to use it ( when the light is constant as indoors with or without flash or in a studio.
Other than that Chris,s advice above is sound.
For general use sick with AP and play with exposure compen
 
Ditto f8 and aperture priority. From that point, you can quickly make adjustments after taking a couple of shots if you want to go to manual. I prefer to use manual when I can, but it can be a real PITA if the light is variable.

BTW - welcome to the forum.
 
troutfisher said:
Don't get hung up on manual there are times to use it ( when the light is constant as indoors with or without flash or in a studio.
Other than that Chris,s advice above is sound.
For general use sick with AP and play with exposure compen
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Thanks Chris, your tip regarding when to actually use manual & Chris's (above) tip about using AP for everyday (outside ect) is very helpful thank you, as I am planning to do some indoor tabletop studio type photography, which I then plan to make artistic using software & then everyday outdoor holiday ect.. so from your tips I will look at only using manual when doing the indoor stuff :)

Thanks again, very much appreciated.
 
Sky said:
Ditto f8 and aperture priority. From that point, you can quickly make adjustments after taking a couple of shots if you want to go to manual. I prefer to use manual when I can, but it can be a real PITA if the light is variable.

BTW - welcome to the forum.
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Thank you Trevor, this forum has already been brilliant for me and your tips too. I find googling things okay, but everybody does things slightly different, so I find it a bit over whelming & am pleased that this forum has helped me with simple answers yet with very helpful and understandable tips!

Cheers Joe
 
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Joe94 said:
Thank you for this, very much appreciated and very helpful. Just as an added question, what would you recommend as a starting point for aperture, for this kind of everyday use?
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The 'right' aperture depends on how you want the shot to turn out.
The great thing about digital is you can take the same shot 10 times, with a different setting for aperture each time, and look at the results to decide which you like!

Aperture is a bit confusing at first, as it's actually a fraction; so f8 is more accurately written as f/8 - and a 'large' aperture is one with a smaller number - so f/2.8 is a larger aperture than f/8!
(and the values you can set it to go up in odd amounts!).

To get an idea of it, set the camera to aperture priority, and adjust the aperture so the smallest number is showing - this will vary with lens, I think you can go to 2.8 with the lens you have.

Pick something static to take a shot of, a flower in the garden, for example, and take a set of shots, increasing the aperture value each time.
What you should see that at f/2.8 only a thin slice is in focus, then as the aperture goes to f/8 and on more and more is in focus.
 
Good advice above. Also have a look online for aperture, shutter speed and ISO. to get a feel for how they relate to each other and the the effect they have on the final image.

Taking Jonathon's example above - there are many combinations of aperture, shutter speed and ISO that will give a well exposed photo of a flower in the garden, but relatively few of them will give an image that you want.

If your photos do not come out the way you want(and a few/some/many will) try to work out what went wrong. If you can't then post them up here with details of the settings and what you wanted to achieve and someone will be able to help.

One of the good things about digital photography is that the photos are effectively free so you can experiment.

Dave
 
Faldrax said:
The 'right' aperture depends on how you want the shot to turn out.
The great thing about digital is you can take the same shot 10 times, with a different setting for aperture each time, and look at the results to decide which you like!

Aperture is a bit confusing at first, as it's actually a fraction; so f8 is more accurately written as f/8 - and a 'large' aperture is one with a smaller number - so f/2.8 is a larger aperture than f/8!
(and the values you can set it to go up in odd amounts!).

To get an idea of it, set the camera to aperture priority, and adjust the aperture so the smallest number is showing - this will vary with lens, I think you can go to 2.8 with the lens you have.

Pick something static to take a shot of, a flower in the garden, for example, and take a set of shots, increasing the aperture value each time.
What you should see that at f/2.8 only a thin slice is in focus, then as the aperture goes to f/8 and on more and more is in focus.
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Tringa said:
Good advice above. Also have a look online for aperture, shutter speed and ISO. to get a feel for how they relate to each other and the the effect they have on the final image.

Taking Jonathon's example above - there are many combinations of aperture, shutter speed and ISO that will give a well exposed photo of a flower in the garden, but relatively few of them will give an image that you want.

If your photos do not come out the way you want(and a few/some/many will) try to work out what went wrong. If you can't then post them up here with details of the settings and what you wanted to achieve and someone will be able to help.

One of the good things about digital photography is that the photos are effectively free so you can experiment.

Dave
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Thank you so much for this advice Jonathon & Dave, it is all very helpful and I now feel positive in the fact that i just need to do as you say and set these base setting and then play & experiment.

Thanks again :)
 
People are suggesting f8? For a MFT camera? f8? Really? I think f8 is a little extreme. This is MFT, a x2 crop system.

The lens will be sharp enough from f2.8 (I'm assuming this is an f2.8 lens?) and generally I'd stick to f2.8 to f5.6 or so and only stop down beyond that when making a deliberate decision to do so as even at f5.6 you'll be running into diffraction further than you may need to. That would give a FF equivelent of f5.6-11.2 which is a good working range. If the sun is in the frame or it's otherwise very bright at f2.8 the shutter speed could be an issue depending upon the maximum speed the camera allows, which could be 1/4000 or 1/8000, I just don't know. If the shutter speed starts to flash I'd stop down until the shutter speed lowers to whatever the camera can allow.

I use aperture priority as it seems to make sense to me. When the light level drops to a point at which the shutter speed becomes too slow I switch to Manual mode and dial in the aperture and shutter speed I want and let the auto ISO float. That seems to work for me.
 
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My apologies to the OP - I had no idea it was a MFT camera. There are just so many . . . :facepalm:
 
I use all my MFT lenses from wide open as they're good enough from wide open. Using a f2.8 zoom from f2.8-f4/5.6 I'm at a FF equivalent of f5.6 to f8+ which is just enough to give a nice FF look to the depth. With my f1.8 lenses I also start from wide open as at f1.8 I'm at FF equivalent of f3.6 which is useful for low light and shallow DoF but again I'll probably spend most of my time stopped down a bit, maybe at f2.5 to f4/5.6.

When using a FF camera I used to take a lot of pictures at f5-f8/11 so f2.5 with a prime on MFT is a good starting point unless the light is low or I'm going to shallower DoF.
 
woof woof said:
People are suggesting f8? For a MFT camera? f8? Really? I think f8 is a little extreme. This is MFT, a x2 crop system.

The lens will be sharp enough from f2.8 (I'm assuming this is an f2.8 lens?) and generally I'd stick to f2.8 to f5.6 or so and only stop down beyond that when making a deliberate decision to do so as even at f5.6 you'll be running into diffraction further than you may need to. That would give a FF equivelent of f5.6-11.2 which is a good working range. If the sun is in the frame or it's otherwise very bright at f2.8 the shutter speed could be an issue depending upon the maximum speed the camera allows, which could be 1/4000 or 1/8000, I just don't know. If the shutter speed starts to flash I'd stop down until the shutter speed lowers to whatever the camera can allow.

I use aperture priority as it seems to make sense to me. When the light level drops to a point at which the shutter speed becomes too slow I switch to Manual mode and dial in the aperture and shutter speed I want and let the auto ISO float. That seems to work for me.
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popcorn said:
I agree f4 - f5.6 would be a better starting point for the 12-40
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Thanks for the advise Alan & Chris, much appreciated.

It seem that from everyone's advise i should start with AP when out and about or for everyday use & then maybe start playing with manual mode when in a studio like environment with static photography, with flash/lighting ect.. to help practice that side of things.

Joe :)
 
Joe94 said:
Thanks for the advise Alan & Chris, much appreciated.

It seem that from everyone's advise i should start with AP when out and about or for everyday use & then maybe start playing with manual mode when in a studio like environment with static photography, with flash/lighting ect.. to help practice that side of things.

Joe :)
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People go on about manual mode but for a lot of shooting fiddling with everything is just more stuff to do... So I'd recommend the semi auto modes unless making a deliberate and informed decision to use manual and having to set the shutter and aperture and maybe even the ISO too.

I have a few basic starting points and all with auto ISO.

In good light I use one focus point and aperture priority with the aperture anything from wide open to f4 or f5.6. In low light the shutter speed could fall too low for moving subjects (like people) so when that happens I switch to manual mode and dial in an appropriate aperture and shutter speed. For example for people sat or stood quite still something like 1/80 to 1/100 may be adequate but for people likely to move or moving maybe 1/160 to 1/200 or even 1/250 may be more appropriate, depending on what's happening and how fast they may move.

I also have some custom modes set for aperture, shutter and manual modes with wide area focus and face detect so that when shooting people and wanting focus to follow their eye/face I can quickly switch from aperture to either aperture or manual (or even shutter but I never use it) with face detect. I'd use aperture + face detect in good light and manual with face detect and a suitable shutter speed (I have 1/200 set as a starting point) for lower light people shots.
 
woof woof said:
People go on about manual mode but for a lot of shooting fiddling with everything is just more stuff to do... So I'd recommend the semi auto modes unless making a deliberate and informed decision to use manual and having to set the shutter and aperture and maybe even the ISO too.

I have a few basic starting points and all with auto ISO.

In good light I use one focus point and aperture priority with the aperture anything from wide open to f4 or f5.6. In low light the shutter speed could fall too low for moving subjects (like people) so when that happens I switch to manual mode and dial in an appropriate aperture and shutter speed. For example for people sat or stood quite still something like 1/80 to 1/100 may be adequate but for people likely to move or moving maybe 1/160 to 1/200 or even 1/250 may be more appropriate, depending on what's happening and how fast they may move.

I also have some custom modes set for aperture, shutter and manual modes with wide area focus and face detect so that when shooting people and wanting focus to follow their eye/face I can quickly switch from aperture to either aperture or manual (or even shutter but I never use it) with face detect. I'd use aperture + face detect in good light and manual with face detect and a suitable shutter speed (I have 1/200 set as a starting point) for lower light people shots.
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Alan, Thank you very much for this guidance. All of it is very useful for me & understandable, very much appreciated. :)
 
You are very welcome Joe :D I hope you enjoy using your new kit :D

One last thing.

Some people set themselves a maximum ISO they wont go beyond but I'll use any up to and including the maximum the camera allows (ISO 25,600?) as I believe that taking the shot is better than not bothering because I think the ISO is too high. High ISO pictures may have noise but it may be possible to mitigate it post capture and even when there's quite a bit of noise the picture may be perfectly usable as a whole picture or even if converted to B&W.

Some artificial lighting can cause horrible noise but again I'd rather take the shot than not.

Maybe you could experiment and see what's acceptable to you.
 
woof woof said:
You are very welcome Joe :D I hope you enjoy using your new kit :D

One last thing.

Some people set themselves a maximum ISO they wont go beyond but I'll use any up to and including the maximum the camera allows (ISO 25,600?) as I believe that taking the shot is better than not bothering because I think the ISO is too high. High ISO pictures may have noise but it may be possible to mitigate it post capture and even when there's quite a bit of noise the picture may be perfectly usable as a whole picture or even if converted to B&W.

Some artificial lighting can cause horrible noise but again I'd rather take the shot than not.

Maybe you could experiment and see what's acceptable to you.
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Ooo that's interesting as I have read quite a bit about setting maximum ISO ect.. but ill take your advise and leave it alone & practice as it is. And as you mentioned the possibility of mitigating the noise post capture, well I have very kindly been bought a subscription to PS CC & Lightroom, so hopefully that is something I can look into too, when I begin learning the art of simple post editing.

On the note of post editing if you don't mind me asking Alan, is A) should I be shooting RAW or JPEG? & B) if the answer is shoot RAW do you happen to know any good placed to look for tutorials of how to basic edit an image before converting it into a JPEG for use? As, as far as I understand a RAW image would require at least a small amount of editing & would like some guidance as to how I should edit them at a basic acceptable level, if you get what I mean?

Many Thanks again :)
 
I'd recommend raw for all but record shots.

A good idea could be to Google your way to some basic noise and sharpness settings and use those as a starting point.

I import my raws and apply my own presets and then look at each picture in turn applying any more changes as I see fit. What settings you apply will vary with the package, for example I use CS5 which I think has different controls to photoshop.

If you fancy taking a shortcut I'm sure someone with the same camera could post some starting point settings for you.
 
woof woof said:
I'd recommend raw for all but record shots.

A good idea could be to Google your way to some basic noise and sharpness settings and use those as a starting point.

I import my raws and apply my own presets and then look at each picture in turn applying any more changes as I see fit. What settings you apply will vary with the package, for example I use CS5 which I think has different controls to photoshop.

If you fancy taking a shortcut I'm sure someone with the same camera could post some starting point settings for you.
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Cheers Alan, fab tips again & yes if anyone has any other starting points for Post Editing I would be very grateful :)
 
Faldrax said:
A good site for how the various controls act and interact is Cambridge in Colour - nice and clear, and about the right amount of detail.

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/learn-photography-concepts.htm
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I used to visit that site years ago. At the time I found the technical articles to be very good but the forums much less so with some awful advice being given by people who clearly had no idea what they were talking about. I do hope that's changed :D
 
Here is my take. It doesn’t cost anything to take a picture go take loads of them. Use different settings. You will learn by your mistakes as well as your successes. All the data can be checked later. Go and enjoy your camera.
 
woof woof said:
I used to visit that site years ago. At the time I found the technical articles to be very good but the forums much less so with some awful advice being given by people who clearly had no idea what they were talking about. I do hope that's changed :D
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I don't know about the forums, like you I stopped looking at them many years back, for similar reasons. There were definitely some on there who considered they had the one true answer to everything (which was often not!).
 
The semi-automated modes on cameras are pretty good for when you want the camera to help you.

Shutter priority is often used for moving objects - use a fast shutter speed when you want to freeze the action, but a slow shutter speed when you want to use motion blur as a creative element - eg silky smooth water flowing.

Aperture priorty is often used for static objects where you want to use the depth of field creatively, but aren't concerned over shutter speed. A wide or fast aperture (small f/ number = big hole) gives a thin area of focus, whereas a narrow aperture (big f/number = small hole) gives a wide area which is in focus.

With slow shutter speeds, camera shake can be a problem which is why tripods, monopods and bean bags were invented, and more recently image stabilisation as at attempt to reduce the effects.

Look at the pictures that didn't work, and decide why they didn't work. Thats an important part of the learning phase.
 
woof woof said:
I used to visit that site years ago. At the time I found the technical articles to be very good but the forums much less so with some awful advice being given by people who clearly had no idea what they were talking about. I do hope that's changed :D
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Faldrax said:
I don't know about the forums, like you I stopped looking at them many years back, for similar reasons. There were definitely some on there who considered they had the one true answer to everything (which was often not!).
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Thanks Alan & Jonathan for your tips about sites to use. I must also agree about some articles you read make it seem like a midfield and that many people do things in different ways, which can confuse matter and often made me raise more questions than before.

However I must say, I am so pleased I asked on this forum because for me everybody has been very helpful and offered hints and tips (all of which actually seem the same across the board), which have actually made sense to me and not confused me like may sites and articles I was reading before did.

So again I thank you all, very much appreciated :)
 
wave01 said:
Here is my take. It doesn’t cost anything to take a picture go take loads of them. Use different settings. You will learn by your mistakes as well as your successes. All the data can be checked later. Go and enjoy your camera.
Click to expand...
andrewc said:
The semi-automated modes on cameras are pretty good for when you want the camera to help you.

Shutter priority is often used for moving objects - use a fast shutter speed when you want to freeze the action, but a slow shutter speed when you want to use motion blur as a creative element - eg silky smooth water flowing.

Aperture priorty is often used for static objects where you want to use the depth of field creatively, but aren't concerned over shutter speed. A wide or fast aperture (small f/ number = big hole) gives a thin area of focus, whereas a narrow aperture (big f/number = small hole) gives a wide area which is in focus.

With slow shutter speeds, camera shake can be a problem which is why tripods, monopods and bean bags were invented, and more recently image stabilisation as at attempt to reduce the effects.

Look at the pictures that didn't work, and decide why they didn't work. Thats an important part of the learning phase.
Click to expand...

Thank you wave01 & Andrew, for your tips, very helpful & I must admit now everyone has been very kind with their hints & tips I now feel at a stage where I can go and practice by taking lots of pics & learning along the way :)

Thanks again.
 
One interesting thing to watch is what grabs you over the years...

I started out with a Kodak Instamatic just taking pictures on days out and holidays, later I took pictures of cars just about exclusively, later still all I took was pictures at gigs and these days I mostly take pictures of flowers, leaves and other detail when out walking and pictures of family and friends too. I also love old film era lenses which I started buying when they were often about £15. It's amazing how much fun you can have with a cheap lens and adapter.

Old film era lenses brings me onto something you may be interested in... an old film era manual focus 50mm f1.4 or even an even cheaper f1.8 might be something to think about for portraits and general use when something longer and with a wider aperture than the 12-40mm might be handy. A 50mm f2.8 1:1 macro could be something to think about too.

I usually like 35 or 50mm lenses, that's 18 to 25mm in MFT terms, but I have taken thousands of pictures over the years with 50mm lenses on my MFT cameras.

Enjoy :D
 
I would start with AV mode and auto ISO. With AV you can be more creative.
 
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