New DSLR User, Need help!

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OwenMeasures

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Name
Owen
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Just bought myself a Canon 550D why is it always so flash happy? in close up mode wanted to get a close up of something, half press button to focus and up pops the flash! try to shoot some night shots, i don't want to use the flash but up it pops, any help much appreciated!
 
As above, I got a 500D last year (my first camera) and I just jumped straight into the deep end in the manual modes and I learnt a lot about understanding photography.
 
It will be because of the mode you are using. You must be using one of the Auto modes which limit the settings you can change, in those modes the flash will fire if required. You really need to be using one of the creative modes such as aperture priority Av mode or shutter priority Tv mode or of course fully manual. When using these modes the flash wont fire unless you have manually 'popped' it up.

Steve
 
ok been trying to use P mode... as it stands i don't really under Aperture & Exposure, trying to do some shots with the moon the shutter speed seems really slow if i don't use a flash even thought my ISO is on around 1600? lucky i have a tri-pod as shooting free hand i get a really blurry photo.

Photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/owenmeasures/7110817535/
 
OwenMeasures said:
ok been trying to use P mode... as it stands i don't really under Aperture & Exposure, trying to do some shots with the moon the shutter speed seems really slow if i don't use a flash even thought my ISO is on around 1600? lucky i have a tri-pod as shooting free hand i get a really blurry photo.

Photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/owenmeasures/7110817535/
Click to expand...

That photo actually looks quite good, what you have captured is Earth shine, well done (y)

In P mode set the shutter speed and aperture will sort itself out, or vice versa. You also should look into the metering mode to capture the Moon as the camera will also take into account the dark sky. :)
 
When i took that photo it was mounted to the tripod, took around 1.5secs to fully take, if i wanted to shoot something dark free hand how do i decrease shutter speed and use ISO settings instead of flash?!
 
OwenMeasures said:
When i took that photo it was mounted to the tripod, took around 1.5secs to fully take, if i wanted to shoot something dark free hand how do i decrease shutter speed and use ISO settings instead of flash?!
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Change the mode wheel at the top to something apart from the green square! You can't do anything in auto.
 
ACW said:
Change the mode wheel at the top to something apart from the green square! You can't do anything in auto.
Click to expand...

He was using 'P' mode.... that isn't Auto.
 
What I'm trying to defeat is the slow shutter speed but achieve a good picture in the dark?
 
Nice picture but the camera has tried to meter for the whole scene which, because it's predominantly very dark, has resulted in the illuminated crescent being blown (no detail due to overexposure) and the dark sky looking a brighter and noisier than it should.

You might want to experiment with different exposures and see how they affect the image produced - try manual mode ("M" on the dial), ISO 100 and set the aperture to f/8 and the shutter speed to 1/200sec. These settings may seem a bit strange for such a dark scene but the moon is a lot brighter than you think - they should give you detail in the illuminated crescent and a much nicer black sky with less sensor noise. (y)

Edit:

Here's a quick Moon shot I took earlier this month. It's not the best image of the Moon I've ever seen but it's an example of what can be done quickly with a fairly basic setup. (ISO 100, f/8, 1/250. Canon 30D, Sigma 70-200, tripod. Quite a heavy crop and basic adjustments in Lightroom3).

 
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OwenMeasures said:
What I'm trying to defeat is the slow shutter speed but achieve a good picture in the dark?
Click to expand...

Okay. in Manual set the aperture to it's lowest number, set the shutter speed to what you need and then wind up the ISO until you get the exposure. :)

The Moon is very bright you should be able to capture it at a reasonably high shutter speed.
 
OwenMeasures said:
ok does this apply to just the moon or night shots in general?
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You were asking about the Moon so it applies to that. If you want to capture night shots in general then high ISO and high quality lenses are your friend, failing that use flash (y) Unfortunately you do need light to take photo's
 
OwenMeasures said:
ok does this apply to just the moon or night shots in general?
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The Moon reflects a lot of sunlight so it is actually very bright despite hanging in a dark sky.

Unfortunately, when photographing other subjects that aren't so well illuminated at night you have to either adjust your camera's settings (wider aperture/slower shutter speed/higher ISO) to gather an appropriate amount of light for the desired exposure, and/or artificially illuminate the subject (flashgun, torch -light-painting etc).

Remember, every scene is different and unless photographing the same scene (such as the Moon) no-one can tell you exactly what ISO/aperture/shutter will give you the result you want. That's something you have to discover by understanding exposure and how your camera settings work, and experimenting.
 
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OwenMeasures said:
How does this look for daytime shots?

Photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/owenmeasures/7110990723/

Then for night time, adjust ISO to around 3200? maybe 6400? does my Aperture and Shutter Speed look ok?
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Hi Owen

You really are asking a question that can't be answered!... It depends on so much, such as the subject, lens used etc. ?

Can I suggest that you master daytime shots by setting the camera in one of the program modes in daylight and looking at the camera settings? simple answer is you need higher shutter speeds to capture moving subjects and higher aperture to get more of the scene in focus, it's a balance... ISO increases the sensitivity to light!
 
Calmpics said:
This book was helpful for me http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understandi...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335306482&sr=1-1(y)
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I've seen that recommended before, it seems to be a popular guide. I bought "Perfect Exposure" by Michael Freeman a while ago to get a better understanding of exposure. It doesn't cover the basics at all (I already understood the basic principles) but does explain how to "read" different scenes very well and I'd recommend it to anyone who has the basics of metering and exposure nailed and is looking to expand on their understanding.

Owen, I definitely recommend you read up on the basics of exposure, it's the basis of everything in photography and the most important creative tool. Your camera manual might be a good starting point, along with some searching on the web. Reading a lot of guides might be confusing though, as many approach the subject in different ways, so you might want to invest in a good book (like the one Calmpics mentioned above).
 
Thanks Ger, i didnt see your picture of the moon earlier on in this thread, looks really good, thats the image i was hoping to get! will try again tonight (if the moon is out) and will post a picture, will try settings you mentioned above and will have a play around with exposure as you suggested, thank you all your help, i do understand Aperture & Shutter speeds now, alot more than what i did just from this forum and Canon tutorials on YouTube!

Thanks,

Owen
 
there's a "turn flash off" option on the mode dial.
 
ZoneV said:
Owen, I definitely recommend you read up on the basics of exposure, it's the basis of everything in photography and the most important creative tool. Your camera manual might be a good starting point, along with some searching on the web. Reading a lot of guides might be confusing though, as many approach the subject in different ways, so you might want to invest in a good book (like the one Calmpics mentioned above).
Click to expand...

May I suggest exposure is not studied in isolation but to understand the playoff between shutter speed, aperture and ISO
 
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