Newbie with D40X

[untitled-ego]

Hi i am a totally newbie to SLRs and i got myself a D40X today. Any tips etc to use and take care.. like wad range and setting of wad types of pictures etc?

i got a UV filter to protect my lens. yet to get a bag.

thanks

 

[ZeroDivine]

oh ya while u're at it maybe you can invest in a small/medium sized dry cabinet. something like 20-30L should suffice.
Prevent the growth of fungus on ur lens

 

[untitled-ego]

oh okay.. about how mcuh will a 20-30L dry cabinet cost?

 

[ZeroDivine]

if I don't remember wrongly, 30L shd be ard 100..
can get from Digihub http://www.digihub.com.sg/ProductList.aspx?Bg=2&SubCategoryID=34
or go Cathay Photo and get their Akarui drybox which is similar

 

[kcuf2]

oh okay.. about how mcuh will a 20-30L dry cabinet cost?

erm, there is no 20L dry cabinet.. but if u go carrefour, u can get 30L, 40L, 60L, 100L, 200L

the 30L is abt $98, 40L is abt $139, 60L is abt $169 and so on so forth...

i started with a 30L for my D70s, but after using the dry cabinet for a while, i realise that i should also use it to put my cds, my hp etc... i realise this because i went to dig out my old cds and i found sooooo many of them with fungus!!

to prevent future growth of fungus on my other ok cds, i dunk all inside my 30L dry cabinet... sometimes i even put food like potato chips inside ;p

and i know wat u are thinking, the 30L is no longer sufficient for me, then i gave it away to my gf and i grab another bigger 60L... and again, i m beginning to fill up the box pretty quick with my other lenses, binoculars, cds, instruction manuals, filters, food, shaver(put shaver inside is good!! it prevents rusting ;p )

i forsee myself changing to a bigger dry cabinet again... the ability to dry things is just too useful... its not only just for ur camera..

 

[untitled-ego]

thanks.. will try to invest in one asap. btw, will any kind soul educated me to the world of SLRs? eg, what shuttle speed/ aperture for what settings. a brief guide? i was playing with my D40X and i notice at S mode, i choose the shuttle speed and the aperture will auto be selected to best match my chosen shuttle speed. and when i took pictures, notice low shuttle speed= over expose (white) and high speed = under expose(black) am i right?

another thing is when i zoom, the image is blur when i release the shuttle but surprisingly b4 the shuttle close, the image was auto focus sharp.i was in S mode. why ah? any links to take note & read?

 

[ZeroDivine]

Hi untitled-ego,
there's alot to explain especially if you are first timer into the world of SLR.
Hence, I think passing you this link would be more convenient .. http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=245883 written by fellow forumer zoossh. It covers alot from equipment price, to dslr newbie guide(including exposure,composition etc).

 

[ZeroDivine]

oh and yes try and read your manual thoroughly first to understand various functions of your camera. Sometimes some things are already written over there

just to answer ur qn regarding blur image when u zoom,
the general rule of thumb is to set shutter speed around 1/focal length . So for example u zoom to 70mm, the minimum shutter speed is 1/70 to prevent handshake. Of course you still need to try to keep still and when releasing the shutter. Some people can go lower, depending on their holding technique or with the help of tripod/monopod and also VR(vibration reduction) or inbuilt antishake in their cameras(like olympus, sony/minolta).

As usual, the fastest way to learn is to go out for some outings(check out the outings forum) and learn from others.

 

[untitled-ego]

when ppl talk abt shuttle speed is 1/focus length. so in the cam when i adjust i see FL is 7 and so my shuttle speed should be 7 also?

 

[chanxj]

when ppl talk abt shuttle speed is 1/focus length. so in the cam when i adjust i see FL is 7 and so my shuttle speed should be 7 also?

Woah! does nikon have a 7mm lens?:think:

 

[zac08]

when ppl talk abt shuttle speed is 1/focus length. so in the cam when i adjust i see FL is 7 and so my shuttle speed should be 7 also?

Are you talking about the aperture value you see in the viewfinder?? The focal length is the length of the lens used. I.e. 24mm, 50mm, etc... for the D40X, your range should be from 18mm to 55mm and accordingly, you can handhold the shutter speeds of 1/15 to 1/60 sec (for your kit lens focal lenght) comfortably if your handholding techniques are sufficient.

This normally will be more pronounced in longer focal lengths.

 

[untitled-ego]

yeah in the view finder. but i dun see the fraction 1/(number) i see just the number next to the FP. maybe i find a screenshot easier to get my pt thru haha

 

[ZeroDivine]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD40X/page4.asp under viewfinder view.
u r right they don't display it 1/something but instead the number is the fraction.
Unless they have like 2" then it's 2 sec, if it's 2, then means 1/2 sec.

 

[zac08]

yeah in the view finder. but i dun see the fraction 1/(number) i see just the number next to the FP. maybe i find a screenshot easier to get my pt thru haha

Basically, the value is for the shutter speed.

1" is 1 second
2 is actually 1/2 sec (they forgo the 1/)
and so on...
60 is 1/60 sec

 

[untitled-ego]

Basically, the value is for the shutter speed.

1" is 1 second
2 is actually 1/2 sec (they forgo the 1/)
and so on...
60 is 1/60 sec

oh.. i see. thanks. Now i get it. The link photography 101 is very informative. and a small aperture means "bigger value" correct?

when on S or A mode, i understand S- shuttle piority and A- Aperture piority but when is it i need to use (S) or (A)?

 

[zac08]

oh.. i see. thanks. Now i get it. The link photography 101 is very informative. and a small aperture means "bigger value" correct?

when on S or A mode, i understand S- shuttle piority and A- Aperture piority but when is it i need to use (S) or (A)?

Yup. Smaller aperture is a larger value, i.e. f11 - 22

You choose which mode you require for the scene according to what you need out of the camera. I.e if you need to freeze action for a sports scene and do not quite bother about the DOF of the scene, you would set it to S mode and dial in the required shutter speed you need you freeze the scene, such as say 1/250 sec or faster.

Now if you are going for a scenery or mebbe portrait, you want control over the DOF of the image. This is where you would use the A mode with a smaller aperture for scenery shots and a larger aperture for portraits where you want a small DOF to highlight the portrait better.

 

[untitled-ego]

Yup. Smaller aperture is a larger value, i.e. f11 - 22

You choose which mode you require for the scene according to what you need out of the camera. I.e if you need to freeze action for a sports scene and do not quite bother about the DOF of the scene, you would set it to S mode and dial in the required shutter speed you need you freeze the scene, such as say 1/250 sec or faster.

Now if you are going for a scenery or mebbe portrait, you want control over the DOF of the image. This is where you would use the A mode with a smaller aperture for scenery shots and a larger aperture for portraits where you want a small DOF to highlight the portrait better.

thanks for the tips btw wads DOF? is the software aperture offered by apple any good?

 

[ZeroDivine]

DOF - Depth of Field..

 

[untitled-ego]

DOF - Depth of Field..

thank you bro... i ma working my on shot.s maybe can join the guys at sembawang/yishun for outing to learn more.. btw any good bag to intro for my D40X? crumpler any good?

 

[Six-GHz]

oh.. i see. thanks. Now i get it. The link photography 101 is very informative. and a small aperture means "bigger value" correct?

I suggest you use the pictorial screen on your LCD screen... that's the wonder of D40/X series, it makes apertures and speed easier to grasp.