New DSLR...need advice

[BLWN DSG]

Ok so I finally broke down and replaced my 6 year old point and shoot digital camera. I bought the Nikon D3100. So far just playing with it, it is awesome:banana:

So to the advice part....I am not a photography person, I am trying to learn. So my question is, what are some good settings to put the camera. I would like to be able to take good action photos without them being blurred but also take some lower lighting pictures as well.

 

[BittenInBama]

Recommend this, very informative and easy to understand:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300419138&sr=1-1"]Understanding Exposure[/ame]

 

[bam]

Automatic mode if you need good shots right now. Just start fiddling with things... read some stuff... practice practice practice, and you'll start to get the hang of it.

Baseline advice:
action shots- wide aperture, high shutter speed, low ISO.
low-light shots- wide aperture, low shutter speed, high ISO

 

[oldmodman]

That was the first thing I liked when digital cameras came out. No film and developing costs.

You can just experiment to your hearts desire. Just try everything until you discover the settings that you like.

 

[Planter]

Ok so I finally broke down and replaced my 6 year old point and shoot digital camera. I bought the Nikon D3100. So far just playing with it, it is awesome:banana:

So to the advice part....I am not a photography person, I am trying to learn. So my question is, what are some good settings to put the camera. I would like to be able to take good action photos without them being blurred but also take some lower lighting pictures as well.

that other book is ok, but first learn the features and settings of this specific camera, then use that other book.

this is the book that should have come with the camera instead of that farce they call a manual

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D3100-Digital-Field-Guide/dp/0470648651/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300228784&sr=1-1]Amazon.com: Nikon D3100 Digital Field Guide (9780470648650): Thomas: Books[/ame]

 

[BLWN DSG]

Thanks guys, I have been trying to find places to read up on everything. I was playing with it last night in the den with just a small lamp on in the room. Doing really close shots with low light, far shots low light, etc. This is definelty going to be a whole new world of things to learn, I am really excited!!!

 

[SteveChris]

sometimes you want an action shot to be blurred, just want to blur the right area.
say youre at a race and cars are flying by, you can lower your iso, raise your aperature (lower f number is raising, it is opposite), and raise your shutter speed and it'll freeze it.
But then you're left with a car just parked on the track. It's better to follow the car with viewfinder and then take the shot. trick is to keep following the car even after the mirror has gone down and the viewfinder goes black. just keep the same movement throughout the shutter click. the end result is a clear sharp car with a blurred race track..gives the look of speed that you want

 

[wvmystichrome]

That was the first thing I liked when digital cameras came out. No film and developing costs.

You can just experiment to your hearts desire. Just try everything until you discover the settings that you like.

Agreed. The Priest at the Catholic School my daughter use to attend asked me one time.

"Why do you shoot so many pictures?"

I told him, "Because I can shoot almost 1,000 pictures on this digital card before it is out of space and I know there is going to be at least one good picture!"

He laughed and said OK.

Thats the neat thing about digital you can keep snapping and make small adjustments or moves and then pick the best when you review them.


OP - Auto mode to start and then start playing with the settings. AND RTM....READ THE MANUAL!

 

[BLWN DSG]

OP - Auto mode to start and then start playing with the settings. AND RTM....READ THE MANUAL!

I have and still am, I am one of those guys who will not touch the device till I have read the manual, especially electronics...I put the CD manual in last night because it says it has more info on it so I am reading that. Unfortunately though is the manual does not tell you really how to take the cool shots, it explains the functions and a less than generic description...

 

[CobraBob]

Now that you have a great DSLR camera follow your instinct to learn as much as possible about the camera in order to tap into its power/features. IMO the biggest mistake some people make is buying a superior DSLR camera and only using AUTO. What a waste. Best of luck with your D3100.

Oh, and I highly recommend Lynda.com for photography training. They have a lot of courses for most the novice and advanced photographer. You can pay by the month or the year, but its worth every penny. I've subscribed to Lynda.com for 3 years now. Click on the link, go to the SUBJECT drop down and select PHOTOGRAPHY. Then select CAMERAS + GEAR.
Training By Lynda.com

 

[silverstang23]

My best advice would be to shoot in manual. If you put the camera in auto, it may produce decent pictures but it won't do what you want it to; like your example about blurring sports.

Shooting manual is easy to do. With a digital camera you can just pick a setting snap a photo and look at on the view finder, then darken/lighten as needed. Back to how manual works. There are three things that make up an "exposure triangle". ISO, Aperture, and shutter speed. ISO changes how sensitive the shutter is to light. The higher the iso the more sensitive it will be, and the more noise you will get. Aperture(f stop) controls the depth of field. The lower the number the more it will separate the subject from the background. Shutter speed effects the amount of motion in the photo. If you want to shoot action speed it up to 1/1000; to take a rolling shot slow it down to 1/40.

When you are shooting, you will have a general idea of how much depth you want in your photo. Set the aperture based on this. Then if you want to shoot action set your shutter speed high. Then use the iso to change the brightness of the photo.



There are lots of tutorials about stuff like this online

 

[lobra97]

Harry Gilbert has a lot of knowledge, ask him.... he's given me a lot of info to digest and there's always more to learn. I use a Nikon D3000

 

[BLWN DSG]

Keep the info coming....i appreaciate it! Bob, that is why I am trying to find info to learn from, thanks for the link, I am going to check it out. I want to know how to use this camera for what it was made for...that is why I bought it.

I am getting the idea about ISO, Shutter Speed, and Apeture....still have tons to learn I know but looks from a few of you guys are saying is that just understand the basics and start playing with it...it is going to take time....

 

[BLWN DSG]

Harry Gilbert has a lot of knowledge, ask him.... he's given me a lot of info to digest and there's always more to learn. I use a Nikon D3000

Yeah he PM'd me a link that he said he uses to help teach his students....I was looking at the D3000 but the video portion won me over to the D3100.

 

[SpectorV]

go to a site like adorama.com and watch the vids and such and you can pick up all sorts of tricks/tips

 

[lobra97]

Yeah he PM'd me a link that he said he uses to help teach his students....I was looking at the D3000 but the video portion won me over to the D3100.

i was debating the same for a while until someone pointed out DSLR's are for pictures, if you want video get a video camera :beer:

good choice though, both are great cameras for those that want to move up. :rockon:

 

[Planter]

Thanks guys, I have been trying to find places to read up on everything. I was playing with it last night in the den with just a small lamp on in the room. Doing really close shots with low light, far shots low light, etc. This is definelty going to be a whole new world of things to learn, I am really excited!!!

if you want to shoot in low light situations, i suggest you invest in some quality nikkor 2.8, 1.8 and 1.4 aperture lenses.

they are uber expensive, but worth it, and the quality and sharpness of the images is incredible. the faster the lens, the more light it is able to let in, even in dark situations (and the less grainy your pics will be).

 

[harry gilbert]

Instead of using the Manual setting, start out using either Aperture priority or Shutter priority. Using Aperture priority, you select the aperture and the camera selects the shutter speed based on the light and ISO setting. Use a small aperture (large number) to get more in focus, and a wide aperture (small number) to get narrow depth of field, like when you want to blur out the background and emphasize the subject (car, pretty girl).

Use Shutter priority when you want to freeze action. For example, at the drag strip or races, birds in flight. Choose a fast shutter speed (1/500 or more).

The rule of thumb when handholding a camera (no tripod) is don't let the shutter speed drop below 1/3rd the focal length of the lens. If you have the lens zoomed out to 100mm, the slowest shutter speed is around 1/30th second.

The cleanest image (least "noise") is by using ISO of 100 or 200. You increase the ISO when light is low, or you are using either small aperture or high shutter speed. 400 is a good general purpose setting. Your camera should give decent images up to about ISO of 1600; past that and you will start to see visible graininess and speckling (noise) in the shadow areas.

When in doubt, take lots of pictures at different settings.

Auto setting is also good to start out with, but it's limitation is that it is unaware of your subject. There are other options on the dial (portrait, landscape, etc.) that are like Auto but tell the camera the shooting situation.

 

[BLWN DSG]

Instead of using the Manual setting, start out using either Aperture priority or Shutter priority. Using Aperture priority, you select the aperture and the camera selects the shutter speed based on the light and ISO setting. Use a small aperture (large number) to get more in focus, and a wide aperture (small number) to get narrow depth of field, like when you want to blur out the background and emphasize the subject (car, pretty girl).

Use Shutter priority when you want to freeze action. For example, at the drag strip or races, birds in flight. Choose a fast shutter speed (1/500 or more).

The rule of thumb when handholding a camera (no tripod) is don't let the shutter speed drop below 1/3rd the focal length of the lens. If you have the lens zoomed out to 100mm, the slowest shutter speed is around 1/30th second.

The cleanest image (least "noise") is by using ISO of 100 or 200. You increase the ISO when light is low, or you are using either small aperture or high shutter speed. 400 is a good general purpose setting. Your camera should give decent images up to about ISO of 1600; past that and you will start to see visible graininess and speckling (noise) in the shadow areas.

When in doubt, take lots of pictures at different settings.

Auto setting is also good to start out with, but it's limitation is that it is unaware of your subject. There are other options on the dial (portrait, landscape, etc.) that are like Auto but tell the camera the shooting situation.

Thanks man!! I am still reading through the link you sent me...Awesome info!!!


Thanks everyone for all the help so far! Here is an E-beer for all fo you....It is on me..:beer:

 

[Blown_By_You]

Instead of using the Manual setting, start out using either Aperture priority or Shutter priority. Using Aperture priority, you select the aperture and the camera selects the shutter speed based on the light and ISO setting. Use a small aperture (large number) to get more in focus, and a wide aperture (small number) to get narrow depth of field, like when you want to blur out the background and emphasize the subject (car, pretty girl).

Use Shutter priority when you want to freeze action. For example, at the drag strip or races, birds in flight. Choose a fast shutter speed (1/500 or more).

The rule of thumb when handholding a camera (no tripod) is don't let the shutter speed drop below 1/3rd the focal length of the lens. If you have the lens zoomed out to 100mm, the slowest shutter speed is around 1/30th second.

The cleanest image (least "noise") is by using ISO of 100 or 200. You increase the ISO when light is low, or you are using either small aperture or high shutter speed. 400 is a good general purpose setting. Your camera should give decent images up to about ISO of 1600; past that and you will start to see visible graininess and speckling (noise) in the shadow areas.

When in doubt, take lots of pictures at different settings.

Auto setting is also good to start out with, but it's limitation is that it is unaware of your subject. There are other options on the dial (portrait, landscape, etc.) that are like Auto but tell the camera the shooting situation.

This......