# New DSLR, where to start?! :-/



## JMorty (Apr 25, 2011)

Howdy all,

My Mrs has got me my first DSLR (700D) and don't know where to start.

There are so many settings, I feel a bit lost but really want to get into it all.

Does anyone have any advice for a newbie?

Many thanks in advance!

Morty


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

I would suggest using the auto mode for a while just to get the feel of the camera, familiarise yourself with the various dials and buttons. If photography is new to you then I'd recommend you learn the basics of photography which are the same for whatever camera you use, i.e the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and depth of field. It may seem daunting initially but like riding a bike it will suddenly become second nature.

Your eyes are the most valueable and important tool you have, use them well, have fun and enjoy.:thumb:


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## Dannbodge (Sep 26, 2010)

Read some online guides and start taking photos.
Even if you are just in front of the tv doing it it will help you understand what does what


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## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

One bit of good advice I learnt in order to prevent blurred images was to ensure the shutter speed was always more than the focal length of the lens.
So if you have a zoom lens set to 80mm then make sure the shutter speed is set to 1/100 at least and the image will be in focus, likewise, lens set at 50mm then shutter speed should be 1/60 at least.
Make sure you also know what the lowest shutter speed you can hand hold at, before you need a tripod, most young people can go down to say 1/30 sec whereas us old guys with small amount of hand shake can only manage say 1/60sec.
Also read the manual a few times and get out there and take as many practice shots as you need.
If you need any specific advice then check out the Forum site at
www.talkphotography.co.uk
Dave


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## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

Also find out how the shutter speed interacts with the aperture and ISO.
For example, in full sun you need an ISO setting of 100 or 200 for Nikons, if you were taking photographs in a Church then you would need to up the ISO to say 800 to obtain a decent shutter speed or aperture setting so as prevent taking a dark image.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

There some very good basic photography books available that can get the key point across very simply with tutorial 

Once you have the key concepts and relationships down its all about experimenting to get experience 

I would pop to water stones and have a look through what they have


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## foggy4ever (Apr 17, 2014)

2nd talkphotography, been a member for 6 years. Look at there meeting section for anything local as being shown something face to face helped me a lot more than reading tutorials on line.


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## XtrailAndy (Oct 14, 2013)

Some good advice already given here, matey...but there is one sure way you are going to learn how the camera works, and that is not to have it on Auto. In Auto the camera is going to do everything for you and IMO that is not a very good way to learn.

Put the camera in AV mode on the main dial, this way you control the aperture ( how much light is reaching the sensor ) and then see how different apertures affect the shutter speed and DOF ( Depth of Field )

As already mentioned, you can do the same with ISO and Exposure Compensation to see how different values affect the shutter speed.

Just get out there ( or indoors ) and use the camera as often as you can and have some fun.

Hope I have not been too technical and drop me a PM if you need some more advice.


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## Roody262 (Mar 6, 2010)

Get yourself onto talkphotography also the canon cameras come with a very good manual, this not only explains how to use the settings it gives examples of their effects on your images. Another good alternative to the manual is the magic lantern books I think their called, I got one with my first camera, 350D, and found it to be a great help.

Just stick with, play with the settings on the camera and snap away.


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## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

Don't forget if you want to shoot action sport like motor racing, horse racing or football etc then the shutter speed should be around the 1/1000 + mark


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## lawrenceSA (Jul 17, 2012)

digital photography school on the net
picture correct on the net

Plenty learning material there but here is a very short summary

The first thing to get your head around is the exposure triangle.

the 3 elements of the triangle are 

*ISO *(how sensitive your camera is to light)
*Aperture *(how wide the shutter opens to let light in)
*Shutter speed* (how long the shutter stays open)

If a picture is too dark, not enough light has been let in, and it is 'under-exposed' and conversely, a picture that is too bright is overexposed from letting in too much light.

So you could adjust any one of the 3 above to increase/decrease your exposure as needed.

But changing each one has an effect on the picture.

So let's say you have it too dark and want to make the picture more bright

If you increase the ISO (make the camera more sensitive to light) the pics become 'grainy'

By slowing down the shutter speed (to let more light in) you capture any movement (e.g. someone walking past the lens will look blurry, and the shaking of your hands will show)

By increasing the aperture (smaller F number) you reduce the depth of field (think of depth of field as how much of the foreground and background are in focus)

So if you for example are shooting racing cars, you can't have a slow shutter speed as the car will look like a blur, so you set shutter to where you want it (to freeze the car in motion - i.e fast shutter) and then adjust the remaining 2 items (iso and aperture) until your exposure is correct.

Hope that makes sense?

Once you understand that, delve into composition and white balance etc...

You can pretty much teach yourself if you are prepared to invest some time researching

Good luck


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## JMorty (Apr 25, 2011)

Oh my goodness guys!! So many replies!!
Thank you all so much!!!

I will have an in depth look later and try and put it into practice.

I'll probably upload some photos for C + C's

Thank you so again all, that's a really big help!

Morty


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## bigalc (Aug 7, 2014)

Look on the Canon Eos Forum and join in.
We are a friendly bunch with plenty of tips.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Brian Peterson books are very good, as are his youtube videos.


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## cheney (Mar 5, 2015)

I recommend Nikon D5300


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## cheney (Mar 5, 2015)

I used Nikon d5200, it works great. There's very little upgrades in the D5300, you may look at the reviews of Nikon cameras http://thedigitalcamera.net/nikon-d5300-vs-d5500-vs-d7200-comparison-which-one-is-worth-buying/


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