questions on taking photos. (iso/aperture/speeds/etc)

[Hyper_Kagome]

i'm wanting to get more intimate in learning how to full use my camera and as of right now i'm a pretty big camera newbie. a lot of my photos have been shot using an auto mode, and auto-focused (though i'm getting better at manual focus) and i'd just like to learn how to use my manual settings better.

now i know most of this is in my manual, but i don't have that unpacked at the moment nor do i know what box it's in... and i'd likely understand it better in the words of people like you.

iso
what iso is best for what kind of setting?
how do i know?
what is it?

aperture
what is it?
what aperture is best for what settings?
how do i know?

shutter speeds
obviously for darker images i want a longer speed to bring in more light for the picture.
what other things can you say on this?

have i missed anything?

also i'm not sure how to change the aperture on my camera. it's a nikon d60.

thanks..
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EDIT (added on from another post)
alright. over the weekend and such i'm more than likely going to be photographing a stunt bike performer. so obviously a fast shutter speed to catch the image of the person and object wanted so it doesn't focus on any one point?

what else.
what do you recommend?

the d60 as a special setting just for shutter speeds and also one for sports...

 

[TFT]

I'm nearly in the same situation as you Hyper, except my manual is unpacked and I've read it.

I seem to remember some of our more esteemed photographers were going to do a bit of a teach-in on the settings etc, sadly it never happened This thread http://www.computerforum.com/137151-photography-101-volunteers.html
I'm not saying I haven't learnt anything but I always end up with more questions unanswered so look forward to your replies.

 

[Irishwhistle]

ISO
1. the lower the ISO the better. The higher the ISO is, the more grainy your images are gonna be.
2. Read 1 and 3.
3. It controls how quickly the sensor takes in light, or something along those lines. A higher ISO speed is faster than a lower ISO speed (and thus better for hand holding a shot in a dark area), but that doesn't make it better. The higher the ISO number - the grainier the image.

aperture
Aperture controls the amount of light that comes into the lens. If you have a high F-number you will get less light coming in the lens (that's right, if the number is bigger, the hole that admits the light is smaller) and if you have a lower number you will have more light coming in. So, a low F-number (like f/3.2) would be best for hand holding, but...

well, there's a bit more to it than just the amount of light coming in. Another effect of aperture is depth of field (DOF). If you use a low F-number (f/3.2, for example) you will end up with a very shallow DOF (not much will be in focus) and if you use a high F-number (like f/22) you'll end up with a very broad DOF (a lot will be in focus.)

So basically:

High F-number = little light entering lens (which means you will need a higher ISO number or slower shutter speed). Broad depth of field.

Low F-number = lots of light entering lens (meaning you can use a lower ISO number and/or faster shutter speed). Shallow depth of field.


shutter speed

Shutter speeds are pretty simple once you know what you're doing with ISO and Aperture. It's not too difficult to judge what shutter speed to use once you get used to it. Just don't set it too low while handholding. You may have to turn the ISO up sometimes, that's fine. That's what it's for.


Sooo... have you missed anything? not really... shutter, aperture, and ISO are the basics. If you want to learn more about it I'd highly recommend reading Brian Peterson's book "Understanding Exposure." It's where I learned about most of this stuff. It's definitely worth reading.


As far as changing aperture - assuming the D60 is the same as my D3000 it should be as simple as pressing the button on the far right of the top of the camera body and spinning the dial on the back.


I hope that all helps. Good luck!

I'm nearly in the same situation as you Hyper, except my manual is unpacked and I've read it.

I seem to remember some of our more esteemed photographers were going to do a bit of a teach-in on the settings etc, sadly it never happened This thread http://www.computerforum.com/137151-photography-101-volunteers.html
I'm not saying I haven't learnt anything but I always end up with more questions unanswered so look forward to your replies.

Suggestion - Read Brian Peterson's book, "Understanding Exposure." It's better than anything us CFers could ever put together.

 

[Hyper_Kagome]

alright. over the weekend and such i'm more than likely going to be photographing a stunt bike performer. so obviously a fast shutter speed to catch the image of the person and object wanted so it doesn't focus on any one point?

what else.
what do you recommend?

the d60 as a special setting just for shutter speeds and also one for sports...

 

[Irishwhistle]

alright. over the weekend and such i'm more than likely going to be photographing a stunt bike performer. so obviously a fast shutter speed to catch the image of the person and object wanted so it doesn't focus on any one point?

what else.
what do you recommend?

the d60 as a special setting just for shutter speeds and also one for sports...

Yeah, fast shutter speed definitely. And as long as it's gonna be outdoors and not dark out you shouldn't have any problems with that.

Shutter priority mode is only something to use when it's getting dark and thus tricky to hand hold imho, so probably don't use it. Go ahead and use the sports mode though if you aren't comfortable with manual.

Focusing may be a problem though... the D60 has a basic 3-point AF system with no 3D tracking so it may be tough to focus. In fact, you may be better off using manual focus. But really, just experiment, switch back and forth between AF and MF and see what works best. Do the same with the shooting modes.

 

[Hyper_Kagome]

Yeah, fast shutter speed definitely. And as long as it's gonna be outdoors and not dark out you shouldn't have any problems with that.

Shutter priority mode is only something to use when it's getting dark and thus tricky to hand hold imho, so probably don't use it. Go ahead and use the sports mode though if you aren't comfortable with manual.

Focusing may be a problem though... the D60 has a basic 3-point AF system with no 3D tracking so it may be tough to focus. In fact, you may be better off using manual focus. But really, just experiment, switch back and forth between AF and MF and see what works best. Do the same with the shooting modes.

i think when i enter a mode to be taking images that are moving that the camera doesn't actually focus on any one area. i played around with it when i was in the mountains last september (2008)but i can't exactly remember. i'll have to fool around with that when i'm in a moving vehicle and see what happens. (going to be in one tonight heading out of town)