Any good websites for absolute beginners in digicams?

[Kim&Chris]

I just bought a Canon A570 IS, which I'm really excited about, mostly because of the image stabilization (I tend to take many close ups that end up blurry).

However, I'm feeling overwhelmed because there's SO MUCH that I don't know about basic digital photography. For instance (and I'm really embarrassed to say this) but I have no clue what ISO means. Or aperture. Or what I should be aware of in regards to taking beach photos, low-light photos or super close-ups.

The manuals are OK, but they are definitely written for people who know much more than I do, so I end up scratching my head and getting frustrated.

Any suggestions?

 

[ukcatfan]

You would honestly be better off with a book. The ones by Bryan Peterson are very good. The most popular is Understanding Exposure.

If you want to do it web based, try the tutorials section of http://www.luminous-landscape.com For a little more on post processing on your computer try http://ronbigelow.com/articles/articles.htm

Kevin

 

[Jeninpa]

I would read the instruction manual and have your camera right there so as you read you can try out each setting. For right now just set everything on AUTO. If it has dials such as mine for Portrait, Scenery, Fireworks ect. they are all preset levels and there is no need to mess with them right no. Just learn what you can and when you start to feel more comfortable then read up on WB, ISO ect. I have had my camera for a yr now and JUST took it off auto WB the other day,lol. I have a cheap camera but people tell me my pics are excellent so it just takes lots of practice. Go outside and take pics of flowers and stuff to practice,lol. You can always do a google search for some great info! The only really important thing that you WILL need to adjust if your camera has this feature is Exposure. Mine is just a simple pushing the up button while in picture taking mode and you get a bar with a 0 in the center. You can slide it -1,-2 ect for sun and +1,+2 ect for darker times. You can usually tell on the lcd screen when you pres the shutter button slightly to focus if it will be the right exposure (amount of darkness or lightness). HTH!

 

[Kim&Chris]

I would read the instruction manual and have your camera right there so as you read you can try out each setting. For right now just set everything on AUTO. If it has dials such as mine for Portrait, Scenery, Fireworks ect. they are all preset levels and there is no need to mess with them right no. Just learn what you can and when you start to feel more comfortable then read up on WB, ISO ect. I have had my camera for a yr now and JUST took it off auto WB the other day,lol. I have a cheap camera but people tell me my pics are excellent so it just takes lots of practice. Go outside and take pics of flowers and stuff to practice,lol. You can always do a google search for some great info! The only really important thing that you WILL need to adjust if your camera has this feature is Exposure. Mine is just a simple pushing the up button while in picture taking mode and you get a bar with a 0 in the center. You can slide it -1,-2 ect for sun and +1,+2 ect for darker times. You can usually tell on the lcd screen when you pres the shutter button slightly to focus if it will be the right exposure (amount of darkness or lightness). HTH!

Thanks, that info about exposure is helpful!

 

[ukcatfan]

The only really important thing that you WILL need to adjust if your camera has this feature is Exposure. Mine is just a simple pushing the up button while in picture taking mode and you get a bar with a 0 in the center. You can slide it -1,-2 ect for sun and +1,+2 ect for darker times. You can usually tell on the lcd screen when you pres the shutter button slightly to focus if it will be the right exposure (amount of darkness or lightness). HTH!

Thanks, that info about exposure is helpful!

Here is a very recent thread devoted to exposure compensation. http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1512876 Mark has a very good comment on it.

Unfortunately, it is not just as easy as -1,-2 for sun or +1,+2 for dark. That might work sometimes, but it could make the situation worse. It actually has more to do with the color shade of your subject. The camera does not see in color. It assumes the world is a neutral gray and that works for the most part. When you overload it with an extreme, it can get confused and that is where exposure compensation or manual mode come in to play. Sometimes in bright light, you actually want to do a + instead of a -. A great example is snow. There is more on this on that thread.

Kevin

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Also, check out www.GoingManual.com for good tutorials on the manual settings common to all sorts of cameras digital or otherwise. I learned a lot from them.

 

[wdwmom2]

Also, check out www.GoingManual.com for good tutorials on the manual settings common to all sorts of cameras digital or otherwise. I learned a lot from them.

I didn't realize this site existed.........it is great !!!!! Thanks so much for posting it.