Am i correct?

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MarkyB

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Hi all!

Basically i bought myself a new DSLR(Canon 1000D) yesterday and was messing around with the auto features and i must say i have fallen in love with photography!

Anyway i want to get off auto asap and i don't want to become to attached to it so i have been reading up on all the different things to look out for and basically i would just like to see if i am correct in thinking these things.

ISO - This is the sensitivity on the light sensor so the higher i have it, the more sensitive to light it is. So it's perfect for darker areas etc.

Shutter speed - This works in fractions so 1/1000 is a lot quicker than 1/4. Also a longer shutter speed is also better in darker areas due to recieving more light?

Aperture - The lower the number the more "zoomed out" it is -sorry for my technical term there :) which is great for landcape shots and keeping focus on a wider area. The higher numbers are good for up close shots but cause a blurred background.

What i don't understand though is should i be changing from AF to MF aswell? I know it may be too much too soon but i don't quite understand how the focus works in MF?

Sorry to be a pain guys/gals i've become hungry for knowledge and i want to make sure i'm right before i carry on :)
I've been playing around in manual mode and i have managed to turn a dark area into a well lit area without flash! Yes not very impressive to the pros but i'm very proud :)

Thanks all!
 
ISO your correct - 1 point

Some points to note, the Higher the ISO the more prone your photos will be to noise (a grainy distorsion int your photos, more noticable in dark areas and shadows)

Shutterspeed correct - 1 point

Some points to note, the longer the shutterspeed the more prone your pictures will be to camera shake, this will depend on the person and also is your camera/lens has a form or image stabilisation.

Aperture incorrect - nil points

Aperture is measured in F stops, the smaller the aperature (F number) the bigger the hole on the lens letting the light in, the bigger the number the smaller the hole, its a bit awkward at first. The lower the F stop the smaller the "depth of field" (area in focus). The higher the number the the larger the area, basically at a high number right from front to back will be in focus.

Manual focusing is an art in itself and IMO I would stick to AF its very rarely wrong and will give you good results

You arent being a pain its what this forum is all about. Welcome aboard and feel free to ask anything else.
 
At least you have the willingness to learn. Im still a newbie myself & still playing around with full M mode.

Aperture controls the DOF "depth of field" which will allow you to blur the foreground or background of the subject you are focusing on!

The lower number f/ stop will allow more light into the sensor as its the largest aperture the lens will allow giving you a short DOF.

A higher f/ stop will let less light in but will give you a much larger DOF i.e more of the image in sharpe focus.

Hope this helps you.
 
Have a look at the tutorials section in here - there's one that explains the link between exposure - ISO, shutter speed and aperture
 
If you are just starting out and trying to learn about all the settings then you'd probably benefit from learning about aperture priority and shutter priority.

Aperture priority is like a semi-automatic setting in that you set the aperture you'd like on the camera and the camera will work out the right shutter speed to get the exposure right.

Shutter priority is the opposite in that you set the shutter speed and the camera works out the aperture.

If you are doing portraits and want to control the depth of field in the shot then you'll use AP. If you are doing sports and want to maintain a fast shutter speed to freeze the action then use SP.
 
A good book to read is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

Enjoy your new hobby and welcome:)
 
It's also worth looking at the pictures you have taken on auto and seeing what the camera has selected for you in terms of aperture, shutter speed etc - then trying to notice differences and work out why that might be.
 
Wow thanks for the advice everyone :)

Just curious here but what do i go on to learn once i have picked up the "triangle".

Thanks again all, can't wait till the weekend to take this camera to the nature reserves :)
 
MarkyB said:
Wow thanks for the advice everyone :)

Just curious here but what do i go on to learn once i have picked up the "triangle".

Thanks again all, can't wait till the weekend to take this camera to the nature reserves :)
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Well depending on what shots you are taking LOADS!!! Composition, metering, focus points, using depth of field (you aperture setting) creatively, using sutterspeed creatively, using a flash, different lenses (Prime, UWA, Zoom, Telephoto)........ What photography are you intrested in? I am guessing landscapes?
 
Getting your head around smaller f/stop number = bigger apperture in the lens has tripped a few up (Don't know if it is tripping you up).

The f/n signifies focal length (f) divided by the number selected (n). So:

50mm lens at f/2 has a 25mm aperture between the lens and the sensor.
50mm lens at f/10 has a 5mm aperture between the lens and the sensor.
 
Donki said:
Well depending on what shots you are taking LOADS!!! Composition, metering, focus points, using depth of field (you aperture setting) creatively, using sutterspeed creatively, using a flash, different lenses (Prime, UWA, Zoom, Telephoto)........ What photography are you intrested in? I am guessing landscapes?
Click to expand...

At the moment i am loving everything about photography from landscapes/wildlife to people which i'm hoping a favourite will develop from them as i don't want to limit myself just yet.

At the moment i'll keep practicing what i have learned so far and then i will have a look into the other things you have listed for me.

Thanks again all!
 
The whole exposure settings and stops thing works on a halving/doubling principle, which means that, for example, if you halve the shutter speed but double the ISO, you get the same exposure.

The thing that foxes most people if the relationship between different lens apertures, the f/numbers. They also work on the halving/doubling thing, but the numbers are related by the square root of 2, ie 1.414. That is, f/5.6 is half the light passing area of f/4 (5.6/1.4=4).

There is a logic to it, dreamed up in 1800-something by Thomas Waterhouse, but it's a bit daft.
 
I would add don't expect to instantly be able to master the camera in a few days. Take one step at a time, ie using shutter priority and how it reacts with ISO and aperture , the same with aperture and ISO.

There is no definate ways of taking the same picture, you will find that even daylight can be so different as to alter camera settings. Think of how the light differs from early morning to midday to dusk and you can see what I am getting at. So on two different days you will get results totally unrelated light wise of the same shot.

Even then taking the same picture from different angles and distance can make all the difference, therefore don't just see something and snap, walk around a bit and see what looks best in the viewfinder. Common errors are people standing infront of an upright and it looks as if it is growing out of their head, or if people a finger or foot out of shot is easy to slip up on.

Colours also come into play , its no good having a photo of someone dressed in white against a white background as an extreme example, so do consider what you are photographing and the background .

These are some of the things to watch out for apart from the excellent advice given by others

Realspeed
 
Thanks once again for all of the fantastic advice. I will continue taking it slow with the basics. I see exactly what you're saying with the different lighting and shutter speeds etc

Just so impressed with what a DSLR can do, well worth the money :)
 
HoppyUK said:
There is a logic to it, dreamed up in 1800-something by Thomas Waterhouse, but it's a bit daft.
Click to expand...

Au contraire - it's simple mathematics. If you double the diameter of a circle, you increase the area by 4 times. Ergo if you double the aperture (which is a measurement of focal length divided by the diameter of the opening) you are letting in 4 times as much light, or 2 stops.

That's why f stops are numbered in such an apparently weird way - to actually double the amount of light entering the lens, you only need to increase the diameter of the aperture by a factor of 1.414.
 
Scarecrow said:
Au contraire - it's simple mathematics. If you double the diameter of a circle, you increase the area by 4 times. Ergo if you double the aperture (which is a measurement of focal length divided by the diameter of the opening) you are letting in 4 times as much light, or 2 stops.

That's why f stops are numbered in such an apparently weird way - to actually double the amount of light entering the lens, you only need to increase the diameter of the aperture by a factor of 1.414.
Click to expand...

LOL yes :) I said there was a logic to it. But it's not exactly obvious or user friendly is it? Or necessary.

Do you prefer to work in ISO or DIN? :D
 
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