hurray, just got hold of my first DSLR, feeling is so excited. bought Kit I and UV filter, going to snap at Ubin tmw. my knowledge is very little so pls bear with me as I ask noob questions. I haven got a dry cabi and tripod yet, will wait till next pay... Seniors, any tip and tricks for me to master the full manual mode?
Canon EOS 600D new member
- Thread starter Norman Lau
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I'm not a senior, but just my $0.02. To master manual mode, shoot in other modes (Auto, P, A, S) first and try to understand why the camera choose such settings for such environment/setting. So far, I've only used Manual mode when the environment is tricky where it "tricks" your camera to overexpose or underexpose certain scenes.
If you are new, I suggest that you shoot in semi auto modes (as listed above). That way, you will have more time to focus on composition and stuffs rather than camera settings. If you see some numbers blinking when looking thru the viewfinder, it means that your current settings is either severely overexposed or underexposed. In this kind of situation, try to play around by changing values you can control, ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.
Tripod - Best to get if you are landscaping at night or shooting long exposures.
Lastly, I hope you at least have a drybox (with silica gel loaded)....
If you are new, I suggest that you shoot in semi auto modes (as listed above). That way, you will have more time to focus on composition and stuffs rather than camera settings. If you see some numbers blinking when looking thru the viewfinder, it means that your current settings is either severely overexposed or underexposed. In this kind of situation, try to play around by changing values you can control, ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.
Tripod - Best to get if you are landscaping at night or shooting long exposures.
Lastly, I hope you at least have a drybox (with silica gel loaded)....
Using a DSLR does not mean must use M mode. It's important to learn the basics first, know what is exposure (ISO, aperture, shutter speed) and metering, what will happen when 1 parameter is changed. P and A mode is a good start. No point using M and screw up your shots, taking 5min for an easy shot and still gets it wrong, that what happens to many of my friends and they refuse to use other mode saying buy DSLR must use M mode, else why buy.
I use A mode for >95% of my shots.
I use A mode for >95% of my shots.
If you have some spare time, 1 way I can suggest to learn more about aperture, shutter speed and ISO (and thus familiarizing yourself with the fundamentals before using M mode) is to compose a scene where there is some regular movement. For example, a view out your window of the surrounding buildings and streets. The artistic value is not important at this point
Fix your composition (a tripod is useful in this case, but if you don't have then find a stable surface) and take shot after shot in M mode, changing 1 setting at a time between shots.
Learn how to read your camera's light-meter value ( -......0.....+ )
After done with this experiment (perhaps 10-20 shots), upload the photos to your PC. Look at the end result and the relevant settings, and draw your own conclusions from there
My friend got an EOS beginner guide book when he buy his 600D. The content looks great for beginner. Did you get a copy?
thanks all for advice, today is a wet day, i used auto+ for all my shots, what I feel is many times flash is popped out and end up overexposed. For a hiking trip like this is hard for manual mode, until I can set the camera very quickly. Lastly, I used auto to shoot a small worm, body of worm got light reflection but Nikon D3100 did good in capturing the worm, both of us use kit lens 18-55mm.
Even though you're using auto mode to shoot, but do take note of the settings your 600D sets for you. Study your photo and understand how the settings affect the outcome of your shots. Good luck!
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/309544-Photography-Notes-For-Newbies
Read up on this also =)
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/309544-Photography-Notes-For-Newbies
Read up on this also =)
I agree to this. U shld try exploring different modes in your DSLR before u attempt the M mode. Of cos, u can feel free to take pics in M mode, but try to set your pic format in RAW. This enable u can do a preview of your pictures in your Photo Editor, in addition u can also learn to play around with the settings in Photo Editior and correct your mistakes, moreover see different effects if u uses different settings at the point of shooting.
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