Peeps,

I have finally taken delivery of my 350D and having only come from a range of P&S cameras I'm like a rabbit caught in the headlights!! So so many options, controls etc etc...

This is really a start of a hobby for me so I'm literally at the bottom of a steep learning curve. What I want to avoid is just using the camera in Auto mode as I don't believe I will learn anything using that and get lazy.
So my question is, what mode should I initally be starting off in!! I was thinking Av mode for general shooting, and also perhaps playing around with the pre configured scene modes to see what they control/change.

Good idea, bad idea, am I just talking nonsense....

Any advice most definitely appreciated....

Si

I would advise starting off in aperture mode (I think that's Av on Canon's) and learning about depth of field i.e. what the different aperture settings will do for you - try setting your aperture at f/4 and taking a picture of a static object then take the same shot but at f/22 and then compare them and you'll get an idea of what depth of field is about -- look at the backgrounds of the images, the one at f/22 will be considerably more "in focus" than the one at f/4 so you can apply this creatively depending on the subject and how you want to portray it. Once you've got the hang of that, try learning about shutter speeds (Tv mode I think this is on Canon gear) and how they affect the image -- get out into the field and find a river (or even a tap in your house would do), set the shutter speed to something quite slow, say 1/8th of a second and take a pic of the river/tap as the water is flowing, now take the same shot at 1/250th/sec and compare them and you'll start to understand how shutter speed affects your images (the water will look frozen in the faster i.e. 1/250th shot). This will give you some basic grounding and you may want to think about a tripod as your next purchase if you are going to be shooting at slow shutter speeds or small apertures (smaller apertures generally require longer exposure times depending on the light).

Try reading up on the web looking for beginner tutorials but don't get caught up in all the gear/filters/stuff until you've got an understanding of the basics and how to apply them to your shooting situation.

It's an expensive hobby as you are about to find out but I'm sure the good folk on here will help you every step of the way.

My Mrs gave me a book for valentines day purely on the Rebel XT (thats the stupid name the yanks have for a 350d). Ill get the name when I get home and post it up. Its helped me get to grips with the camera.

Many thanks for the tutorial lesson suggestions, that should keep me more than busy this evening....

Also would be interested in the name of that book if possible.

Thanks again for the replies, much appreciated.....

Si

Found it

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/157990761X/qid=1147103004/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/026-7458153-9860402

Seem a good perfect parter offer in the middle of the page as well

don't let the technical side of the SLR get in the way of creativity and having fun. sounds silly, but some do get bogged down.

that's not to say, don't learn about your camera. obviously work towards being able to take the shot that you want to capture.

Had my 350D a couple of weeks now and loving it.
I use the following settings as a starting point, when using 18-55 lens (F5.6 - F8 sweet spot)
Quality - L, AF - One Shot, Met Mode - Centre, Auto off - 1min, Cont's shooting mode,focus point to centre dot only.
Landscapes - AV - F8 - ISO200 (Most things should be in focus)
Indoors - TV - 1/250 - ISO400 (Should freeze most action)
Motorsport - M - depends on weather, situation etc.....

As I said only had for a short time so I guess others (with alot more experience:D ) will have other ideas.

Have fun

Nick.

Mogsi, I almost forgot about this rather excellent read from our own Hoppy (I do wish the mods would make this a sticky as it would help a lot of people).It's a bit long but well worth reading.

Understanding Photography (http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=477515)

Thanks for all the advice/tips. Much appreciated and it's all being taken onboard..

I spent a good few hours last night just messing around and shooting various scenarios using the Av mode. I've still got a long way to go yet but it's bloody good fun learning and the 350D is an absolute joy to use....

Cheers
Si

yea just go and enjoy it. Then once your pretty sure about how to shoot you then step into the post processing world if your shooting in RAW :D

Its great fun im still loving my 350d

Landscapes - AV - F8 - ISO200 (Most things should be in focus)



Regarding your ISO setting, always use the lowest you can for landscapes - I agree with using an aperture of around f8, but only increase the ISO setting if you can't achieve a fast enough shutter speed to avoid camera shake - I would recommend using a tripod for landscapes anyway, so slow shutter speeds won't be an issue. :)

You could have a look at Understanding Exposure (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0817463003/qid=1147167023/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/026-7387080-5252432) by Brian Peterson.

Explains the basics of how exposure works, and how to make simple correct exposures in real world examples. Very easy to follow, very informative and everything is illustrated to show you how the different settings make each picture different.

Once you know the basics, you'll never look back and then you can get creative.

Good luck, it's good fun.

Geezer