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SLR Beginners Guide
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Im researching alot on SLR/DSLR cameras as im hoping to buy one mid march. I typed up a sort of SLR camera encyclopedia/dictionary and thought id share it with the forumers on photographyIreland :). If you find iv missed out any important key words for a beginner please tell me.
SLR Camera: Beginner Information
The Aperture: The amount of light which reaches the lens. The higher the aperture the less light reaches the lens. (Example: F32: Small amount of light enters the lens. F1: Large amount of light enters the lens) The smaller the bigger. The bigger the smaller.
Shutter speeds: The amount of time it takes for the light to reach the film. Shutter speed is usually displayed in seconds. A fast shutter will capture the image quickly (Example: The birds where just about to fly off, I used a fast shutter speed to capture the image before the birds flew out of sight). You use a slow shutter speed to capture the image slowly (example: An 8 second shutter speed exposure on a street captured streaks of red lights from the cars passing rather than taking the image at a fast shutter speed and capturing the image of the actual cars. Or. I wanted to capture a smooth image of a waterfall motion, I set the shutter speed to a slow speed of 6 seconds).
ISO: The higher the ISO the faster the lens absorb light. In bright light you use a low ISO setting. Were as in dull light you use a higher ISO setting.
Sensor Dust: On SLR/DSLR camera dust appears as small black smudges therefore it is highly visible when on the lens. As you take the lenses off SLR camera’s they are exposed to air and are therefore exposed to dust. Too avoid sensor dust. Avoid changing lenses and when you do change them as quickly as you can.
Dynamic Range: Your eyes may see your cameras captures in a different way. This is called Dynamic Range and is normally due to your camera not having the same Dynamic Range as your eyes. Most new cameras have resolved this problem.
Continuous Drive: Continuous drive is capturing multiple images one after another. This is usually used when doing stop motion movies/videos or simply trying to get the right shot.
File Formats: The main file formats of an SLR/DSLR camera are JPEG and RAW. These are two different types of images your camera can produce. A RAW image is un-edited capture, the camera simple captures the images straight away and leaves the editing for you to do later before you save the image. A JPEG/JPG image is a processed image that is captured edited and saved to the memory stick of the camera (Example: Adjust the colour saturation, sharpness, brightness of the image) but the processing that a camera does to a JPEG image CANNOT be undone.
Auto Focus: This feature is on most SLR/DSLR camera and it does what it says on the tin really, it automatically focuses on the subject of the image.
Megapixel: Each image consists of millions of square boxes known as pixels. Each pixel holds one part of the image, The more pixels the higher the quality of the image when it is enlarged. If there are a small amount of megapixels the image will be stretch throughout the number of pixels which will bring down the overall quality of the image.
…not to mention things like start-up time, shutter lag, burst rate and buffer perhaps; lens choice, sensor rendering, compatibility, price, purpose…… :) I understand you do this as a primer only. However, possibly, a discussion about what features are important depending on what type of photos you take might be useful (or confusing). E.g. importance of MP count being much lower than manufacturers and shop-windows might imply. If it were up to me I’d put things like shutter lag, start-up time, ISO noise and may be a “moire” value or something like that next to camera displays, but then everyone would only buy a certain range of cameras….
irving penn’s quote!
photography – what is it? is it to capture REALITY an real people/places/objects just as the are in their purest forms, or is it a creative medium to adapt the use of camera to the way the person FEELs about its use.
Some wish to make a perfect image, some wish to distort the reality and bend to reflect an idea rather than reality
Some wish to use the photo as a starting point and expand ideas further and further,
Some wish to see what a combo of photography and computer processing can do, what the results may be, and then further the above mentions aims.
Just what IS photography?
Its a technical process and can be used in so many ways, just because you hold a camera and do not spend more time taking pics than at the computer does not make you a lousy user of a technical piece of equiptment.you use the camera to achieve an end, it can be visionary, illusionary, reality and creative.
Photography is the person and not the camera.Quotes can be attributed to the writer of this instructional message!!!!!!!
After 44 years as a photographer , I’m learning here fast ( GRIN ) :-)
Thanks ,
MichaelHI,
I have just bought a Canon 7D and i would love to lean about the camera any advice would be great please.
Regards,
Johnneed for speed wrote:
HI,
I have just bought a Canon 7D and i would love to lean about the camera any advice would be great please.
Regards,
JohnRead your manual John and then read it again, always take it with you when out taking photographs,
you may inadvertently press a button or change a setting and spend the next hour wondering what the
heck is wrong with the camera, (as I have done) but most of all dont be afraid of it you will soon learn
what all the buttons and switches do by using them.You will get thousands of crap photos but when you get one that you are really chuffed about it is a
great feeling, check the exif data and you will soon pick up the “right” and “wrong” settings for a pic.Most of all enjoy it. :)
10cdc…..you might also mention DOF (depth of field) and how its achieved,
Remote release cables, Flash and when to use it. Different types of memory cards
ie read/write speeds.The list is endless, but a great idea and a boon to people starting out. Good luck with it :)
ah shutter bugg…er you are still about my friend.
yes, read manuals! ha! hate that really hate that, love the hands on, ear to ear mouth to mouth recuscitation on getting back to life actually, maybe thats why so few like the manuals.
hope all is well with you.
plenty happening here by far, just been shot at by an underage dysfunctional child with a pellet gun, but got a woa image of her.
xann
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