lollipop

I recently bought a Nikon D40 and I've gone through the manual and have learned how to take a manual exposure and learned some of the other functionalities of the camera.

I'm trying to understand the concept of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. I got some books, went on the net, etc., I get the gist of it but don't fully understand it. I was hoping some of the more experienced photographers could help me out.

I also don't understand what you're supposed to adjust your ISO to - does it depend on the lighting? When do you know when to change it? Same question for the aperture...I'm not sure when to change it so I leave these 2 constant and just change my shutter speed. I totally don't get depth of field. Just feeling overwhelmed and lost.

Any other tips for a beginner would be most welcomed.

Thanks!

W.M.DEEEZ

Wow...where to start?


It's really pretty simple, and I've got to get to work, but I'll start.


ISO...generally, the lower the number, the finer your pictures will come out. In the old days, they called it grain, now they call it noise. Either way, once you get up around 400 or higher, your pix... especially if you make them large, will seem grainy, and somewhat out of focus.






The snow here makes it look grainy too, but you get the idea.

Now, sometimes you must raise the iso, because the lower the iso, the "slower" you must shoot. In other words, the film speed...iso...is directly related to the shutter speed. Play with it. In the same lighting, choose an iso of 100. Observe what shutter speed you will be shooting at. Then, raise the iso to 400, and notice you can shoot much faster.


Typically, indoors, or on cloudy days, you must raise your iso...if you shoot too slow, you will get blur from not holding the camera steady enough.


Nice camera you got there...the zoom they included is a slow lens...the aperture is 3.5 I believe. That forces you to shoot a little slower (shutter speed) on low light instances.




For now, that'll give you something to play with...I'll be back later. We can move forward unless someone else hooks you up.







edit...check out post 207
How does your garden grow?



Depth of field...how much is in focus, and how much isn't....notice the flower is crisp, but the background is blurred. Sometimes this is desireable, sometimes not.

A large lens opening...2.8,3.5,4, etc. will give you less depth of field. More blur in the background.

A small lens opening, will make everything clear.

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lollipop

This is EXTREMELY helpful!!!! Thanks so much! Could you also explain aperture the same way? I know most of this is true experience but I have to admit I haven't been that proactive in getting out there and taking pictures.

Here are some pics I took on a trip when I first got the camera - all in automatic mode: DSLR Shots - a set on Flickr

These were with my Nikon Coolpix point & shoot: Point & Shoot - a set on Flickr

W.M.DEEEZ

Nice pix...I started w/a point and shoot, and then broke it.

I decided I was ready to move up to the dslr, to try and recreate my 35mm experience from years past. I still haven't perfected this whole digital thing.



Aperture...lens opening. Stand in front of a mirror, and observe your eye pupils. They will be somewhat small. Now, put your hand over one eye for about 5-10 seconds. Take your hand away, and notice how large the pupil is. The eye does this to let more light in, when in low light situations.

Funny, I just found this about the eye, and they mention aperture to describe the eye. I'm using the eye, to describe aperture!



The smaller aperture numbers represent larger lens openings...for low light. Sometimes, you will purposely choose a large lens opening...and consequently shoot at a faster shutter speed...because you want less depth of field...less in focus.

Sometimes, you will want more in focus, so you will choose a smaller lens opening...and use a slower shutter speed. The two always go hand in hand.


Sometimes you are forced to use a large lens opening, because there isn't enough light, and you can't possibly shoot slow enough without blur.


That is where iso comes in...you must choose whether you bump up the iso...higher number...but sacrifice grain/noise...in order to be able to shoot faster...



Got it?


Now I have to get back to work.

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lollipop

Got it. Thanks.

gonzo

I see you've already gotten some good help, so I'll just add: nice camera! (It's what I use, lol) I didn't take the lens that Nikon offered. I opted for a 2.8-200 Quantumray. It's not as pricey, but you've seen my shots here. I love the zoom.

Nice shots, btw! I love the one of the guy next to the camel.

lollipop

Thanks Gonzo! I was conflicted between the Canon Rebel and this one.

There was a special for a twin lens kit so I got a 18-55 & 55-200 but I regret getting that - I should've gotten a 18-200 but at that time I didn't know about it, so now I'm stuck with this.

Me too! I posted these pics on a photography forum and I got criticized for that one because my framing was not right but I like it anyways.

I'm going to try and get out more often and take some shots. Honestly, my camera has hardly been out of the bag since I bought it

gonzo

Here's an example of both grainy and blurry (took it hand held with zoom too quickly because the lil sucker was bopping about so fast):



They can't all be perfect. Yeah, photo forums can be brutal. Me? I just have fun with the danged thing, lol. Right now it's jammed full of big byte pics that I can't wait to unload at Walmart! (Father in law's funeral...and about 20 people want copies...arg.) It's a two hour drive to Walmart and back, so I haven't unloaded it yet.

lollipop

A friend of mine just called me up and she's throwing her son's 1st bday party and she asked me to be the photographer!!!

I told her I'm just a newbie and don't even know what I'm doing but she said she doesn't care, she saw my pictures and wants me to take them!

I'm so excited!

W.M.DEEEZ

Hmmmm....I feel better now...I was going to mention your framing in some of the pics...typically a little high...but I didn't think I should say anything, as some of the pics were framed perfectly, and I knew you'd get the hang of it sooner or later.


If all else fails, and you're indoors at that party, pop the flash up, and you can't go wrong!


Like Gonzo...I delete so many pics, because the buggers move so fast, and your heart is pounding anyway. I grudgingly moved up to 200 iso, and try to pic days when it's sunny out when I'm hand holding my 200mm zoom.


There are a few in the hummer thread, that are...quite frankly...terrible quality shots, but the subject is cool, and I posted them anyway.


The great thing about digital is that you can see your results immediately, and learn how to correct your mistakes...








Are you clear on the stuff we discussed this morning? There was a lot in there, and I had to get to a job.

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