How to Operate a DSLR Camera for Beginners

If you’ve recently bought a DSLR camera and after unboxing it, you’re suddenly overwhelmed with its numerous dials and buttons and the thick manual that came with it. It’s a tempting idea to ignore the manual and just set the camera setting to “Auto” and start shooting. But should never be the case.

There’s so much to learn if you want to make full use of your DSLR. For starters, you’ll need to be familiar with its functionality.

DSL Camera Modes

Here are important settings that you’ll need to be critical about to achieve the best shots from your DSL camera:

• Shooting modes - One best approach to getting to know your DSL camera is its shooting modes. A typical what is a DSLR cameras nowadays often have a dial generally labeled as “Auto,” “Av,” “Tv,” “P,” and “M,” Choosing a certain mode will determine how your camera will operate the moment you work with its shutter.Here’s a breakdown on each one:
  • Aperture Priority (Av or A)

  - Aperture priority is basically a “semi-automatic” shooting mode for a DSLR camera. It’s an important part of photography since it has a directly influence on the image that’s in focus. When utilizing aperture priority, you have total control on field depth and leaving your camera to do the rest.

  • Shutter Priority (Tv or S)

  - This functions similar to aperture priority, but in this case, you set the shutter speed while the camera will look into the aperture. You’ll need to go for a long shutter speed if you want blur out a moving subject.

  • Program (P)

  - This mode will let you set either the shutter speed or aperture. The camera will automatically maintain proper exposure by making necessary adjustments on the other.

  • Manual (M)

  - This mode gives you full shooting control. You can set both the shutter speed and aperture according to your preference.

• ISO

ISO is basically a measurement of how sensitive your camera’s sensor is to light exposure. Such sensitivity is represented through numbers: ISO 100 (indicating low sensitivity) up to ISO 6400 (indicating high sensitivity).  It’s responsible for controlling the amount of light needed by the sensor to gain a specific exposure.

If you prefer shooting on a bright day, you could utilize as what is a dslr a lower ISO number (100 or 200). But if you’re going for a low-light shot, you’ll need to opt for a higher ISO number (3200 or higher).

• Metering

Whenever you’re taking a shot, your DSL camera will always make a calculation on its “average” exposure. It’ll analyze the whole image, the light and dark areas, and come up with the right exposure to make all the tones “average.” This is a process called “metering.”

It’s always important to start out your camera with an average or centrally-weighed metering. Both offer accurate exposure measurements to help you understand when an image is underexposed or overexposed.

• Focusing

Regardless of the shooting mode, there’s a chancee the subject within your image will require focusing. If focus can’t be achieved, you’ll end up with an image not to your liking.

Here are focus modes you’ll need to consider when shooting with your camera:

• Autofocus

- A majority of DSLRs come in with autofocus, which is fine for use. But you’ll also consider other modes as well.

• AF-S (Autofocus-Single)

- This mode is ideal for taking pictures of immovable subjects.

• AF-C (Autofocus-Continuous)

- This mode is ideal when taking pictures of subjects in motion.

• Focus Points

When you do a half-press of the shutter, you’ll see squares that are highlighted in red. Such squares are known as the “active focus point.” This shows the position within the frame where the camera is currently focusing. It’s important to initially set your camera to a single focus point. This gives you the freedom to choose focus and ensure the object you’ll be shooting is in focus.

• White Balance

You may notice that what is a dslr can sometimes have images that appear in an orange or bluish tone. This calls for an adjustment of the white balance of that image to ensure it meets your preferred color. It’s a lot simpler if you deal with this matter right away to avoid such image problem from showing up on your next shot.

Exploring Your Camera

These are an overview of the settings you’ll run into if you no longer want to use the “Auto” mode of your camera. Understanding the effects of every setting on your image will later give you better adjustment and control of your camera. In the later going, you’ll no longer see your DSLR camera as a mysterious digital box since you’re already understanding the best approach to achieving a high quality image.

 

Learn more about photography on http://howtobeaphotographer.net

Originally Published Here: How to Operate a DSLR Camera for Beginners

How to be a Better Photographer: Camera User Manual University

Let me guess; you got a brand new camera, you don’t know how to use it, and you have no idea where to start – about right? Let me introduce you to one of the best ways to get to know your camera inside and out, backward and forward. It’s included with your camera, so there is no extra cost! It’s at your fingertips 24 hours a day. It’s patient, and never gets frustrated if you ask it the same questions over and over again. Welcome to:


Camera User Manual University!
For many of us, getting a brand new camera is beyond exciting. We start trying to use it right away, throwing the manual back in the box, forgotten forever. The problem is, we soon run into frustrations and questions, and end up just putting the camera aside, or searching and asking for the answers one at a time, learning slowly and with difficulty. Or maybe we have even had our camera for ages, and just barely discovered something amazing that it can do.

If I can convince you to actually USE that camera manual, you will start out with much more knowledge than the average camera owner, and you will discover lots of cool stuff that your camera can do, that your seasoned photographer friends may not even know!

I am going to share my first camera manual and how I made it useful for me. These tips might help you transform your boring manual, into something that can actually help you become a better photographer.


Protect Your Manual
The covers on camera manuals are usually very flimsy, and easily torn or bent. The first thing to do is laminate your cover, so it’s more durable and stays nicer. I did this by simply covering the front and back covers with packaging tape. I made the pieces of tape slightly bigger than the book, and folded them under so the edges were protected also. Take your time with this, and make sure you use a clean surface to avoid bubbles and dirt stuck underneath the tape.


Add Divider Tabs
I went through the book and labeled and divided each section, so I could find them at a glance. Not only does this make finding things easier later on, but labelling the tabs and sticking them in each section, gets you familiar with the manual even before you start digging in deeper. You will know what your manual has to offer, and what kind of things you are going to be learning very soon.

I used removable tabs that I bought from an office supply store. They have a slight plastic feel to them, and are very sturdy. I like using removable ones, because you can move them later if you don’t need one of the labels in there.


Start at the Beginning
With your camera in your hands, go through the manual from the very beginning. Look at the diagrams, and find each item on your camera body. Even if you don’t understand what something is yet, find it on your camera. Later, as you read more detail, everything will start to come together. Read every page, even if it doesn’t make sense at first. Getting a nice camera is a big investment, so wouldn’t you want to know what it can do?

Camera manuals usually have very basic instructions near the beginning of the manual to get you shooting, almost right out of the box. Feel free to read that part, and begin using your camera right away, but don’t stop there! As you work your way through the manual, you will discover the reason you wanted a DSLR in the first place.


Try Everything
As you read and find each dial, button, and menu item on your own camera, give everything a try. If the manual is talking about different shooting modes, dial your camera in to each one, follow the instructions, and try a few test shots. Reading about things is good, but reading and then getting hands-on experience is infinitely better. You will understand what the manual is talking about with more clarity if you try things out for yourself.

Keep in mind that not everything will make sense the first time through, that’s okay. After you’ve practiced awhile, try going back through the manual page by page again. You’ll find that much of what confused you initially, has now become clear.

Once you’ve tried something, you may realize that it isn’t a feature that you will ever use. If that’s the case, just move on, and know that you at least tried it. You may end up wanting to use that feature in the future, and now you know that it exists.


Underline the Key Words
As you are reading through and learning, have a pen handy. Underline (or highlight if that’s your thing) key words that will help you focus on what is most important. Sometimes manuals can be wordy, and hard to understand. If you can zone in on the most important words, it will become more clear. Later, when you are trying to find something, those underlined words will pop out and make it easier to find.

Take notes in the margins if you try something, love it, and know that you will want to remember that in the future. Add an extra tab or sticky note there, or put a star next to it. It’s hard to remember everything you read after one read-through, but if you can quickly go back to your starred items and practice those often, you’ll be well on your way to mastering your camera.

All of this might seem a little obsessive, and maybe it is for some. However, I have taught many photography classes, and had many one-on-one mentoring sessions with new photographers, and almost every question they ask me about their camera can be found in the manual. Some people learn better from a live teacher, but the great thing about the manual is that you can refer back to it as many times as you need to, and you don’t have to pay anything extra to learn.

Have you attended Camera Manual University? Do you have any tips for making your camera user manual easier to use? I’d love to hear them in the comments.


Was First Published On: http://digital-photography-school.com

• How to be a Better Photographer: Camera User Manual University