More help please?

[Lance]

Hello all...
I am after more help again..!
While shooting some pictures in the day (Slightly cloudy) with a 18-55mm lens, ISO 800, f.8 I discovered that the pictures were all coming out dark???
I adjusted the shutter speed to a slower speed but still they were dark?
Eventually I got a light picture with a very slow shutter speed.
My question is:
Is there a rule of thumb depending on different light circumstances that you known what shutter speed to set it to?
I have heard about focal length? But don't known what it entails?
Any help with these questions?
Many thanks Lance..

 

[dfrear]

Well to begin with you should find a light meter built in your camera, I assume your shooting in either TV or Manual mode to be experiencing problems like this?

Try setting your camera to AV (Aperture Priority) mode, ISO 200 and f5.6 or similar. The camera will then set the shutter speed to an appropriate speed for the lighting conditions.

You may also want to take a look at the different metering modes, for example, you probably want to be using an average meter to begin with then move onto spot metering off certain areas when you understand exposure a little more.

Might I suggest you grab a copy of "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson - it's an invaluable learning tool when it comes to exposure.

 

[wegotitugetit]

low light you may need to up the iso aswell

also have a look for a dvd by blue crane if they do it this will help you aswell

 

[Arkady]

Focal length has no bearing on exposure other than you should try to set a shutter speed roughly commensurate with focal length:

for a 50mm lens 1/60th sec or faster should be set
for a 300mm lens, 1/250th sec or faster should be set

This helps prevent camera shake - movement of the camera due to the small vibrations from your body...

A general rule of thumb - and I stress this is very general:

Bright sunlight at midday (or any time between 10.00 and 16.00) at 100iso - 250th @ f/8

Light overcast - add 2 stops, so 125th @ f/5.6

This was the basic exposure table used by many photographers for many years and will still be only a stop out at most.

I do wonder why you're not using the camera's built-in light-meter though...they're pretty accurate these days...

 

[Lance]

Thanks all for your help and guidance on this querey...