What's the first setting you adjust?
Discussion
My new 40d arrived yesterday and I've spent a while playing around with it. I've had a more 'beginner' type slr for a couple of years and the 40d is a step up to help with learning more about photography.
I don't very often use the scene selections, and have slowly moved towards the more manual settings, to the point that with the 40d I'm going to try and go full manual. I know the basic principals but I don't have the instinct to be able to pick the correct settings off the bat.
As an example, if you were photographing a tree at sunset what is the first thing you adjust?
How much weight do you put on the spot meter or does it become more a case of second nature to know what to set the camera to for different scenario's?
I don't very often use the scene selections, and have slowly moved towards the more manual settings, to the point that with the 40d I'm going to try and go full manual. I know the basic principals but I don't have the instinct to be able to pick the correct settings off the bat.
As an example, if you were photographing a tree at sunset what is the first thing you adjust?
How much weight do you put on the spot meter or does it become more a case of second nature to know what to set the camera to for different scenario's?
KarlosFandango said:
As an example, if you were photographing a tree at sunset what is the first thing you adjust?
Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre......oh no, wrong thread.
Well - it's a simple 12 point plan. Fully adaptable for any fixed subject, but your tree at sunset is easy.
So I would adjust as follows:
1 Position and focal length - select the right lens, walk about a bit
2 Probably be in aperture priority mode, somewhere between f/4 and f/8
3 Look at ISO setting (I never let the camera take over on ISO)
4 Sufficiently fast shutter speed?
5 Press "function" button to bring up spot metering mode to compare with matrix
6 Focus and re-set aperture for required depth of field and repeat steps 3-5
7 Set bracketing mode for a stop under, as given and a stop over
8 Fire off three shots and then check histogram and see where image is blown
9 Decide that hand holding is probably not the best idea
10 Get tripod out of bag
11 Set up camera on tripod and repeat steps 2-8
12 s
t - the sun's gone down - better pack up and go home.Any questions at teh back!
First, I hope you're reading the manual, because it will give you a full understanding of all the features, functions and options, including many you will probably never discover otherwise. You don't need to know all of it; I use about half of mine, but you have to read it all to decided which bits are important and which bits you can do without for now.
Secondly, IMHO going 'full manual' (by which I presume you mean manual exposure) is laudable but generally needlessly masochistic. Nearly all my work is shot in aperture priority mode, the main exception being with studio flash.
I usually use centre-weighted metering although spot can work well if you select your focus area accordingly. I don't use matrix because I don't like a camera that thinks too much. One of us is in charge and it's me.
As for a tree, or anything else for that matter, my first thought is ISO. Is it bright enough to allow 100, or do I need to crank it up? (Thinking ISO first will stop you shooting at 1600 just because that's where you left it last time... it's the same mentality as making sure a car is in neutral before you start the engine). Secondly, how much DOF do I want/need? That decides what aperture I select. If I've got it right, the shutter speed will be acceptable. If it isn't, I'll either open the aperture, increase ISO or take a deep breath and lean against something. Remember that DOF is more critical with longer lenses.
After the shot I check the histogram and if it's not right I adjust exposure compensation (EV) accordingly. Sometime of course you only get once chance - this is where RAW is very useful as you can recover at least two stops with no significant loss of quality. It also takes care of any white balance issues.
That works for me, but a DSLR is a complex beast and different people like to do things in different ways. What's important is that you find a way that you feel happy with and gives results you like. If you're fortunate enough to be paid to take photographs, then your way also has to give results your customers like. In short, it's the end product that counts; how you get there is up to you.**
**For example, when dear Beano says 'Press "function" button to bring up spot metering mode to compare with matrix, 6 Focus and re-set aperture for required depth of field and repeat steps 3-5' I have no idea what he's talking about, and my function button is set to disable the flash!
Secondly, IMHO going 'full manual' (by which I presume you mean manual exposure) is laudable but generally needlessly masochistic. Nearly all my work is shot in aperture priority mode, the main exception being with studio flash.
I usually use centre-weighted metering although spot can work well if you select your focus area accordingly. I don't use matrix because I don't like a camera that thinks too much. One of us is in charge and it's me.
As for a tree, or anything else for that matter, my first thought is ISO. Is it bright enough to allow 100, or do I need to crank it up? (Thinking ISO first will stop you shooting at 1600 just because that's where you left it last time... it's the same mentality as making sure a car is in neutral before you start the engine). Secondly, how much DOF do I want/need? That decides what aperture I select. If I've got it right, the shutter speed will be acceptable. If it isn't, I'll either open the aperture, increase ISO or take a deep breath and lean against something. Remember that DOF is more critical with longer lenses.
After the shot I check the histogram and if it's not right I adjust exposure compensation (EV) accordingly. Sometime of course you only get once chance - this is where RAW is very useful as you can recover at least two stops with no significant loss of quality. It also takes care of any white balance issues.
That works for me, but a DSLR is a complex beast and different people like to do things in different ways. What's important is that you find a way that you feel happy with and gives results you like. If you're fortunate enough to be paid to take photographs, then your way also has to give results your customers like. In short, it's the end product that counts; how you get there is up to you.**
**For example, when dear Beano says 'Press "function" button to bring up spot metering mode to compare with matrix, 6 Focus and re-set aperture for required depth of field and repeat steps 3-5' I have no idea what he's talking about, and my function button is set to disable the flash!
Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 20th March 19:42
ISO first of all.. and then it depends..
Av - aperture priority - for Depth of field with landscape / portrait shots and let the camera sort the shutter speed. Check photo and if needed adjust exposure compensation to suit.
Tv - shutter speed priority - for sports / moving objects.. speed depends on the look I want to achive.
And remember... if at first you dont succeed...
Av - aperture priority - for Depth of field with landscape / portrait shots and let the camera sort the shutter speed. Check photo and if needed adjust exposure compensation to suit.
Tv - shutter speed priority - for sports / moving objects.. speed depends on the look I want to achive.
And remember... if at first you dont succeed...
Great info and interesting to see different approaches. I can see your point regarding iso as I've left it on an old setting before without realising. I'm working my way through the manual but getting some first hand info direct from the horses mouth is sometimes a little easier for me to get my head round
I know that my contribution was slightly on the flippant side, but what I would say is that you should start out avoiding any P(Programme) setting on the camera.
I have been using cameras for approximately 35 years. For the last 12 my cameras have had a "P" and it's only in the last month that I feel sufficiently far up the learning curve to trust the camera to do what I want and use that P!!!
However, and I may disagree with Simpo here, I always believe matrix metering to be a good starting point when metering. So my tip would be to leave that alone for a week or two, then pick it up again and start learning what your options are. As you rightly point out there's a lot to take in.
We haven't even mentioned White Balance yet. I would leave this on auto (especially if you're being really good and shooting RAW). Likewise set your colour space to sRGB. Your JPEG conversion algorithms (sharpness, saturation, contrast) all to "zero" as a starting point. Set your autofocus (if you're using autofocus) to "Single" shot and "Focus Priority" so that the camera only lets you fire if it has managed to lock focus.
Then when you pick up any one of the many variables, pick it up in isolation, leave everything else alone and find out what each single function can do for you. One item at a time.
I hope that makes sense, it's the way I would want to learn if starting out today, but of course we'er all different.
Oh, and if you get the chance (which I never really did) but this reminds me
Simpo, Chris!! it's a really good idea to get together with others and find out what they do in the real world. All the rules in photography, just like every other walk of life, are there to be broken!!! 
Oh and take your camera with you wherever you go!
I have been using cameras for approximately 35 years. For the last 12 my cameras have had a "P" and it's only in the last month that I feel sufficiently far up the learning curve to trust the camera to do what I want and use that P!!!
However, and I may disagree with Simpo here, I always believe matrix metering to be a good starting point when metering. So my tip would be to leave that alone for a week or two, then pick it up again and start learning what your options are. As you rightly point out there's a lot to take in.
We haven't even mentioned White Balance yet. I would leave this on auto (especially if you're being really good and shooting RAW). Likewise set your colour space to sRGB. Your JPEG conversion algorithms (sharpness, saturation, contrast) all to "zero" as a starting point. Set your autofocus (if you're using autofocus) to "Single" shot and "Focus Priority" so that the camera only lets you fire if it has managed to lock focus.
Then when you pick up any one of the many variables, pick it up in isolation, leave everything else alone and find out what each single function can do for you. One item at a time.
I hope that makes sense, it's the way I would want to learn if starting out today, but of course we'er all different.
Oh, and if you get the chance (which I never really did) but this reminds me
Simpo, Chris!! it's a really good idea to get together with others and find out what they do in the real world. All the rules in photography, just like every other walk of life, are there to be broken!!! Oh and take your camera with you wherever you go!
Piers_K said:
ISO first of all.. and then it depends..
Av - aperture priority - for Depth of field with landscape / portrait shots and let the camera sort the shutter speed. Check photo and if needed adjust exposure compensation to suit.
Tv - shutter speed priority - for sports / moving objects.. speed depends on the look I want to achive.
And remember... if at first you dont succeed...
I'd suggest turning that around - decide what aperture or shutter speed you need to get the shot you want, then increase the ISO if required (100 should always be the default there). No point shooting at ISO-100 if you can only achieve 1/50s and you want to stop the action really sharply...Av - aperture priority - for Depth of field with landscape / portrait shots and let the camera sort the shutter speed. Check photo and if needed adjust exposure compensation to suit.
Tv - shutter speed priority - for sports / moving objects.. speed depends on the look I want to achive.
And remember... if at first you dont succeed...
But yes, I use Av or Tv almost exclusively...not good enough to go full-manual yet, and I'm not sure how much benefit I'd get with a modern D-SLR.
KarlosFandango said:
I'm working my way through the manual but getting some first hand info direct from the horses mouth is sometimes a little easier for me to get my head round
Well yes, the manual tells you WHAT everything is but not always what it DOES and certainly not WHEN to use it. You can't beat a box with a hole in it first, then add buttons to taste Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff