DSLR - so what's the secret?

[DanceLikeAMon...]

Evening all. I'm off to China in 2 weeks so decided now was the ideal time to buy a Digital SLR what with me having hardly any time to get used to using it!

I got my Sony A200 this morning and was expecting even basic photos to come out better than my cheap point 'n' click camera, but alas no.

Just using "Auto" mode I've been out for an hour taking random shots. Anything close up was fine, but over 10 feet and the quality was worse than my cheap Lumix!

The manual give you loads of info on how to change ISO, exposure etc. and there's about 10 different types of photo setting you can chose (night time, portrait etc.) but doesn't tell you at what point you should use them and how you should set them.

So my question (finally) is, what the heck do all these settings do and what kind of settings should I use for various situations (night time shots, day time shots, shots of people, buildings, mountains etc.)

I'm sure Google would give me the info with some hunting, but I'd prefer it in easy to understand words and people personal experience.

Thanks in advance

[DanceLikeAMon...]

Actually, here's a couple of photos to show the type of thing I was shooting. Swans are fine but the street shot is ropey - possibly because I didn't know what to focus on for a short like that as well as not knowing what settings to use.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/dance_like_a_monkey/DSC00185.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/dance_like_a_monkey/DSC00134.jpg

[KevTM]

If you're not to used to it and need to take photos just now then Auto will probably be your best bet.

As for what settings to use in what scenarios, well, that's one BIG topic!

Instead of me sitting here for hours trying to give you as much advice as possible I would just say try ThePhotoForum as there's a load of advice on there. (try the beginners section first, really useful) - I'm on there sometimes but haven't been for months.

Keep at it is all I can say.

[DanceLikeAMon...]

Yeah I knew it wasn't going to be an easy one for some to answer in a thousand words or less!

Thanks for that link. I'll have a read over it tomorrow at work. I've been speaking to a mate of mine who's really into his photography and he's going to take me out at the weekend with him to show me some tricks of the trade. He's just bought himself a really fancy expensive camera so I think he just wants to show off a bit, but that's fine as long as I learn something!

I've I'd used common sense I would have bought this months ago and gone to some night classes, but where's the fun in that!

[Drew]

From the books I have read, they say do not use auto mode, instead use either Aperture priority or Shutter priority.

Aperture priority

Shutter priority

The other settings like 'night setting' is basically just a longer shutter setting with a small aperture. etc

[KevTM]

^ yeah those are the basic two I use, if using flash I'll usually use Manual.

Aperture Priority is good for general use giving you control over your DOF etc.

Shutter priority is good for motion, sports, etc..

You just have to be careful though as too long a shutter speed will end up with camera shake, too small an aperture might not get enough in focus. etc etc..

One general rule is to keep your shutter speed the same numeric value or higher than your focal length when hand holding, good starting point anyway. For instance if you're shooting at 125mm say then you'll want a shutter speed or alteast 1/125th or higher (1/250th, 1/500th)..

I would say get the basics down first:

All your modes, specifically Shutter priority, Aperture Priority as mentioned.
Learn what effects the shutter speed and aperture can do
Learn about DOF (Depth of Field)
Composition (Rule of thirds, etc)
ISO (and how they all relate)

if you learn a bit about the above you'll be doing well and can then get creative.

[Kickstart]

Hi

dSLR has a far bigger sensor than a point and click. An advantage of this (and disadvantage) is that the depth of field is far smaller for the same aperture. Great if you want a sharply focused subject while the background rapidly tails off into a blur.

What is required is an appropriate choice of aperture, which in auto mode it probably isn't managing.

For example in the pic of the swans you are at f6.3 with a 50mm lens. Assuming the swans are 10 feet away you have a depth of field (acceptable sharpness) that stretches from ~1.32 feet in front of the focus point to ~1.8 feet behind the focus point. This pretty easy for things to move out of that range.

Because of this you need to choose the point you focus on carefully. Possibly use single shot auto focus, focus on one point, keep the shutter button half pressed and recompose before taking the pic.

You also need to juggle aperture, shutter speed and ISO for the kind of subject you are shooting. Larger F number (which is a smaller aperture) gives more depth of field, but also lets in less light so needs a slower shutter speed (which means the subject has more chance to move while the shutter is open, and so be blurred), and to an extent you can compensate by using a higher ISO setting. However a higher ISO setting will result in a grainier picture.

Also lenses tend to work best in a certain range. At their widest opening (smallest F number) they tend not to be brilliant, and after around f16 (and larger F numbers) diffraction around the aperture blades can reduce image quality.

All the best

Keith
____________________
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[KevTM]

aye, obviously *doh* don't know what I was thinking (f number, aperture.. typing faster than I think).