Read & study your Owner's Manual. Take it one setting or feature at a time, practice using it and then go to the next one.
Digital cameras do not possess "magical" properties. Owning one does not transform you - or anyone - into a competent photographer. The quality of your pictures depends on you - you must know how to use the camera. So spend some quality time with the Owner's Manual. Buying the 'Magic Lantern Guide' for your camera would be a good idea.
Taking a photography class would certainly help.
Here are some definitions that should help:
ISO - A measurement of the sensitivity of a light-sensitive surface, either film or a sensor, to light. A low ISO indicates low sensitiviy, i.e., ISO 50 would be very low, ISO 3200 would be very high. The ISO also affects image quality - the lower the ISO the better our image quality.
Aperture (aka f-stop) - A measurement of the size of the opening in the diaphram in the lens - it determines how much light is allowed to enter. It is an inverse relationship: f1.4 is a very large opening - the lens would be said to be "wide open" and will admit all the available light. f16 is a tiny opening and admits very little light and the lens would be said to be "stopped down" all the way. Our f-stop also affects what is known as "Depth of Field" (DOF)*. DOF is loosely defined as "The area in front of and behind our main subject that appears in focus." Smaller f-stops (f8, f11, f16) produce more DOF, especially with wide-angle lenses.
Shutter speed** - A measurement of the amount of time light is allowed to expose our light-sensitive surface. It is expressed in fractions of a second all the way to seconds. The shutter speed also affects our abilty to "stop action". The higher the shutter speed the better to "stop action".
Light - Without it there is no photography in the usual sense (there are special thermal imaging cameras that produce an image from the heat of a subject). Since most of our photography is done with sunlight we'll consider that our main light source.
The relationship: Correct exposure depends on the interaction of the available light, the ISO we choose, the f-stop we use and the shutter speed that results.
The following is completely hypothrtical and is used for illustrative purposes only.
Suppose its a nice sunny day. We decide to use ISO 200. We choose to be in Aperture Preferred Mode (we choose an f-stop, the camera selects an appropriate shutter speed). Watch what happens as we select different f-stops:
f1.4 @ 1/2000 sec.
f2 @ 1/1000 sec.
f2.8 @ 1/500 sec.
f4 @ 1/250 sec.
f5.6 @ 1/125 sec.
f8 @ 1/60 sec.
f11 @ 1/30 sec.
f16 @ 1/15 sec.
What is happening and why? Remember, at f1.4 our lens admits all the light it can. At an ISO of 200 the light needed to expose our light-sensitive surface is very brief. At f2 we admit 1/2 as much light as at f1.4 - and our shutter stays open longer. At f2.8 we admit 1/2 as much light as at f2 - and out shutter speed decreases again. By f16 we're admitting very little light and our shutter speed has gotten very slow.
NOTE: Our light source and ISO have remained constant. All we've done to affect shutter speed is change our f-stop. I have learned its best to change only one variable at a time.
So what happens if we decide to use Shutter Preferred Mode (we select a shutter speed, the camera sets an appropriate f-stop)? Under the same conditions our results will be the same. If we set a shutter speed of 1/2000 sec. our camera will choose f1.4; at 1/15 sec. the camera will use f16.
How do we decide whether to use Aperture Preferred or Shutter Preferred? We base our decision on the situation we're faced with. If we are shooting action and don't want blur we use Shutter Preferred - we have decided that stopping action is more important than DOF. If we're shooting scenics we want increased DOf so we'll use Aperture Preferred.
* DOF is also affected by the size of the sensor in your camera. A small sensor will produce more DOF at any given f-stop.
** A word of caution. Your shutter speed should always be a reciprocal of the focal length of your lens. When using a 300mm lens your minimum shutter speed should be 1/250 sec. 1/500 sec. would be better. For optimum image quality at any shutter speed use a tripod. Very slow shutter speeds, as shown in our example, make use of a tripod mandatory.
Yes I'm aware of Image Stabilization or Anti-Shake but there is no guarantee its going to always work perfectly. It is said to allow you 2 extra stops hand-holding a lens, i.e., instead of being limited to 1/250 sec. you can hand-hold the same lens at 1/60 sec. Maybe so but if the subject is important enough to photograph use a tripod.
2007-10-06 22:04:10
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answer #1
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answered by EDWIN 7
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its not the camera its the operator
"good iso, fstop etc" depend on the light used and the final product desired.
get and use a grey card for exposure, stick to around 100iso if you can, use a tripod
a night school course would also be helpful
a
2007-10-06 19:29:26
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answer #2
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answered by Antoni 7
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Here are pictures taken with your camera:
http://www.dpchallenge.com/camera.php?CAMERA_ID=1135
If you can't get good pictures then try going here:
http://www.dpchallenge.com
They are a site that helps people learn about their cameras, and holds challenges/contest where people critique your work.
2007-10-06 19:17:53
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answer #3
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answered by CreativEdge 2
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