Beginner Help

[Paulmack]

Guys,

Just after a quick bit of advice really....

It is our wedding party tomorrow night following on from getting married abroad and for one reason and another we arent having a tog (long story).. So my dad is going to use my 40D and just go around taking pics as he sees fit just to capture who came etc.

So my question is, what are the best setting to use as a general "should cover all"?? Not really keen on setting it on auto as this is too unreliable at time.

I am going to stick the 50mm 1.8 lens on after seeing some of the pics people have taken on here, but what ISO should I go for and should I go for shutter priority or aperture priority? Sorry for it being a basic question but I havent really got the time to keep checking on how my dad is getting on all night and I am quite new to my camera. Oh I will only be using the built in flash too as I havent got round to getting a flashgun just yet.

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[michaelgreen78]

If your dad's a real novice, Av or even P may be best. Will the light be constant? ISO may need changing through the course of the night to get your shutter speed so if he's able to take it in, tell him how to change that. Make sure that he uses RAW as that will give you the best chance to salvage shots that may have gone awry.

 

[Paulmack]

Cheers Michael

The light should be pretty constant yeah because we have a singer on not a disco so no lights hopefully. If there are any lights then I can show him how to change the ISO, just dont want him coming over every 2 mins saying is this right or is this ok as I do want to just enjoy the night.

Which RAW do you reckon, the RAW or sRAW? not sure on the difference

 

[CT]

sRAW is about a 1/4 of the size of a normal RAW file and is only intended for very small prints - don't bother with it.

If your dad is a real novice stick the camera on P without a doubt. If you have an accessory flash stick that on TTL and he shouldn't have to alter anything.

 

[Paulmack]

sRAW is about a 1/4 of the size of a normal RAW file and is only intended for very small prints - don't bother with it.

If your dad is a real novice stick the camera on P without a doubt. If you have an accessory flash stick that on TTL and he shouldn't have to alter anything.

Thanks for the advice....think i might just go and get a canon flash tomorrow to make life easier. Calumet have the 430EX for £169 which isnt too bad.

 

[Paulmack]

sRAW is about a 1/4 of the size of a normal RAW file and is only intended for very small prints - don't bother with it.

If your dad is a real novice stick the camera on P without a doubt. If you have an accessory flash stick that on TTL and he shouldn't have to alter anything.

Ok I have took the plunge and sorted a flash. Bought a 430EX and picking it up from Jessops in an hour. So then...can I keep it simple with the flash or will this take constant fiddling to get the pictures right? Never used an external flash before and I am guessing I am not going to be able to master it in the 6 hours or so left before I am out tonight so any advice gladly welcome.

Cheers

 

[CT]

Good move!

Put the 40D on 'P' and Auto ISO. Set the flash on ETTL and forget it.

When you turn the 40D on only set it to the first position so that the rear command dial is disabled and your dad can't accidentally set exposure compensation with his thumb.

With this setup out of doors this combo will handle mixed flash and daylight well enough to probably surprise you.

Indoors at the reception in more subdued light the flash is going to act as the main source of illumination anyway, and act like a very expensive point and shoot, which is the safest way for your dad to use it and the 430EX will have a lot more power than the on board flash.

Have a good day - just leave him to get on with it.

 

[Paulmack]

Good move!

Put the 40D on 'P' and Auto ISO. Set the flash on ETTL and forget it.

When you turn the 40D on only set it to the first position so that the rear command dial is disabled and your dad can't accidentally set exposure compensation with his thumb.

With this setup out of doors this combo will handle mixed flash and daylight well enough to probably surprise you.

Indoors at the reception in more subdued light the flash is going to act as the main source of illumination anyway, and act like a very expensive point and shoot, which is the safest way for your dad to use it and the 430EX will have a lot more power than the on board flash.

Have a good day - just leave him to get on with it.

Cheers, thanks for the help!!

It will only be indoor shooting as we did the wedding abroad 4 weeks ago (fortunately the tog didnt let us down there!!), so fingers crossed it should turn out ok with my dad just pressing the shutter button. If I had started this hobby about 6 months ago then I might have been alright but 6 weeks isnt quite long enough! haha

Once again thanks for your help.

 

[CT]

No probs. It might be safest to just enable the centre AF point only so he knows what he's focusing on.

 

[Paulmack]

No probs. It might be safest to just enable the centre AF point only so he knows what he's focusing on.

Ok so now I got the flash and been playing with it for a little bit...doesnt seem to difficult if for now I just let the camera do the work.
I have noticed though that if I turn the head to the side and shoot I get some better light in the pics.

After tonight I think I will do some serious playing with it and try and get me head around it all....starting with the manual!!

 

[CT]

It does help to read the manual.

Swivelling the head and bouncing the flash off a wall or ceiling does give better light coverage with flash. There's a loss of flash intensity, but the good news is that with the flash on ETTL the system is capable of putting out more power to compensate as long as you keep the distances moderate.