Hello please help me learn to use a camera???

[Ned Senior]

Hello everybody... I have been interested in photography for years and have had a number of digital point and shoot cameras and a fuji s9500 which I have always used on auto...
None of the local colleges do a course on using a camera PROPERLY manually
you know iso and aperture depth of field what have you and what the numbers after a lens mean

I have ordered a Nikon D60 from my local calumet (collecting Wednesday)
Sooo I hoped that someone here would kindly point me in the direction of a good book (untechnical ish)
Or dvd's showing me what and when to change settings wise on the camera
(preferably from amazon or somewhere reputable)
I hope you will advise folks

Cheers

Ned

[willo]

Have a look at this site, it's for the D40 but it still applies to the D60.

| D40 Digitutor |

It goes through the basics of each mode, the best thing to do is to practice. Set to different modes and change the settings, I find it better to learn first hand.

[Ned Senior]

Just won a book on ebay.. it is concerning the canon eos system and is from the days of film but says on the listing that it gives an "awareness of competent camera usage by teaching the basics of photography" !!
Fingers crossed

[cedmondson]

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Highly recommended here (do a quick search for it and you'll see what I mean). Not too technical but still manages to cover the subject pretty thoroughly and usually available for a tenner or so

[Ned Senior]

Originally Posted by cedmondson

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Highly recommended here (do a quick search for it and you'll see what I mean). Not too technical but still manages to cover the subject pretty thoroughly and usually available for a tenner or so

Hi Colin
(couldn't find a smiley with two hands waving alas!!!)
That book looks just the ticket going by the amazon reviews

DULY ORDERED

Thanks

NED

[senu]

While waiting for it
Look
HERE
However you will learn yourself rather a lot simply by taking as many pictures as you can .Seeing what works and what doesn't
The beauty of digital is that there is no film, D and P cost
This is only an advantage if you learn as you go along though and not just take 100 on the offchance 5 will be great

[Malone]

This lists quite a few good websites to read on basics and more advanced.

Matt

[Dave]

My experience is that you can't beat experience.

Just take a hell of a lot of shots and you'll soon learn what works and what doesn't. When I first got my DSLR auto mode was like a lifeline but now it's more of a devils creation and rarely gives me the results I want.

It's amazing how when you get your head round the settings and functions that your shots start becoming what you see in the viewfinder rather than what auto thinks you want.

It's a steep learning curve but you will get there, it's only taken me 12 months.

[TarMoo]

Originally Posted by Ned Senior

Hello everybody... I have been interested in photography for years and have had a number of digital point and shoot cameras and a fuji s9500 which I have always used on auto...
None of the local colleges do a course on using a camera PROPERLY manually
you know iso and aperture depth of field what have you and what the numbers after a lens mean

Cheers

Ned

Very few people shoot in manual mode unless you are in a studio with studio flash.

The most important mode to learn about is probably aperture priority (A). With this the iris in the lens can be made bigger or smaller. A small F number on the lens means that more light comes in, but there is less depth of field.

For portraits I like to use small f stops like f3.5 (on a kit zoom you will have to use the widest aperture setting). A small ISO (e.g. 200) can usually be used if you have a wide aperture (small f number) setting. Wide apertures give a nice blurred background e.g.

Also, for portraits a longer focal length (e.g. more than 60mm ) means that peoples faces don't look distorted. If you have a very small focal length and shoot from close up, then peoples noses look too big.

If you want to get more in focus, then you use a smaller aperture (larger f number), but as you increase the f number you decrease the shutter speed and make it more likely that the picture will be blurred because of camera shake. The rule of thumb is a shutter speed of 1/focal length is needed e.g. for a 100mm focal length you need a shutter speed or 1/100 sec. If the shutter speed is too low, then increase the ISO. I usually don't go above ISO 800 as picture get too noisy. Generally f8 or f11 is the largest aperture you are likely to need.

[lightpainter]

Remember never be afraid to leave your camera set on ‘P’ when you put it away, as its always better to get ‘a’ shot rather than no shot at all!

[The Android]

Originally Posted by lightpainter

Remember never be afraid to leave your camera set on ‘P’ when you put it away, as its always better to get ‘a’ shot rather than no shot at all!

Very usefull piece of advice. It's also a good idea to set your W/B to auto and your ISO to something reasonable whenever you put you camera away. Nothing worse than missing a shot because you are fiddling with camera settings.

Once you get a bit more experienced then you might want to stop doing this. I still try to remember to at least sort the W/B and ISO before I put away but sometimes forget. You are only ever reminded when you miss a shot and think to yourself, "must remember to reset my camera before I put it away next time"

[senu]

Originally Posted by TarMoo

Very few people shoot in manual mode unless you are in a studio with studio flash.
.

I imagine the OP was infact referring more to anything other the Auto mode rather than Full Manual Mode in which all the settings are left to you

[noops]

Originally Posted by senu

I imagine the OP was infact referring more to anything other the Auto mode rather than Full Manual Mode in which all the settings are left to you

Personally I prefer manual mode over anything else - it gives me more scope for creativity and am now even going back to manual focusing too - I must be 'old skool'

[senu]

Originally Posted by noops

Personally I prefer manual mode over anything else - it gives me more scope for creativity and am now even going back to manual focusing too - I must be 'old skool'

Full manual does have a learning curve,though which can be reached gently
Excellent for posed and controlled subjects (eg a Studio as Tarmoo has stated). but for quick capture, you may have to rely on the camera for one or other of the settings ( most of which do reasonably well most times)

[Ned Senior]

Thanks all you are a great lake of advice
Will await the books to come and a dvd I ordered from amazon and then start to paddle my toes abit
I am certain you will all hear from me quite a few times more before I am portraiting Her Majesty