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Flying giraffe

Flying giraffe

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Neil
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had my 550d a few days now and have to admit to be a bit daunted with all the settings, the few ive tried today just seem very dull, which is the best settings to use for a beginer, av tv etc, is it best to stick with one and let the camera do the rest just adjusting iso to suit
 
You want the best right?

Stick it in Manual. Spend some time playing with the ISO, shutter speed and Aperature(f number)

Once you know what these 3 things do and how they are all linked then you'll start shooting better photos. Learn when and why each of the three are lowered and and increased, and if you know why you do this to each then your getting somewhere.
 
blade_922 said:
Stick it in Manual. Spend some time playing with the ISO, shutter speed and Aperature(f number)

Once you know what these 3 things do and how they are all linked
Click to expand...

If I put my 550D into Manual, I could take a photo using 1/250 shutter speed, F30 and ISO 100. That teaches me nothing about how they're linked, I just take a very dark photo.

Probably learn more by having it on Av and trying out different apertures, seeing what it does to the shutter speeds, then using Tv and seeing the same for apertures.

Having just spent an afternoon fiddling with the settings, I'd recommend one of these to compliment the manual.
 
thanks guys, strangely ive already ordered that book so im hoping that will help, seeing all these fantastic pictures on the site, really makes me want to get the best out of my new camera, trial and error i guess are your best option i guess
 
I'd agree that totally manual is the best to learn the hard way but agree even more if you let the camera take out one variable at a time. Once the concept of the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO are grasped, (and it's not hard, just takes a Damascus moment, which will come!) it all becomes crystal. Then of course, you get into the murk of DoF, noise control, motion blur/ freeze action ;) But that's for another day lol.
Don't think of it as trial and error, think of it as becoming to understand :)
Maybe it's just me but I need to know why the pics turned out that way, how I can replicate it, how I can avoid it etc.
 
I don't think there is a best way to learn. Everybody learns differently. When I got my first DSLR (300D) I was advised to use manual as I'd get better shots. I didn't my shots were awful so I stuck to shooting in the auto modes and didn't make the best of the camera, I may as well have had a point and shoot.

When I upgraded I decided that I needed to learn how to use the new camera properly and bought myself a really basic book on photography and read it. There were no fancy pictures, just line drawings and basic details of how ISO, aperture and shutter speed interacted and, more importantly for me, why you want to change them rather than just finding the correct exposure and shooting.

Once I understood the mechanics of exposure and what aperture etc. I needed I started shooting in aperture priority.

I still shoot in aperture priority, keeping on eye on the shutter speed to make sure it's fast enough for want I want, unless I'm using flash when I switch to manual.

For me the important thing was finding a mode which would allow me to get the pictures that I wanted and keep the enthusiasm going.

If you focus too much on the mechanics of setting everything yourself it's all too easy to lose the enthusiasm and just chuck the camera in a draw.
 
have to agree with you there Mike, if the pictures keep coming out poor, the temtation to either not bother, or stick on auto will enter my head, but i really dont want that to happen, i see the lovely shots on the forums and just hope one day i will take some just as good, i do also have to say what a lovely friendly forum this is, and the guidance i have received so far has been fantastic, it makes asking what could be seen as simple questions alot easier, Thanks guys
 
Flying giraffe said:
.. i see the lovely shots on the forums and just hope one day i will take some just as good,..
Click to expand...

Worth noting that a lot of the photos you have seen on here will (probably) have been through postprocessing (photoshop or similar) and that is where the images can be really made to shine. Until I started using Photoshop and processing mine I always thought they were pretty dull straight off the camera.

You need decent photos to start with of course (not that many of mine are, but a lot on here are) but the after editing does make a difference.
 
There's a few videos on Youtube that explain camera settings very well. I think Adorama do a good job at explaining them in a way that is clear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlSuInza16E

You can look in the description box of the video for more episodes that cover other aspects of beginner photography.
 
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