Tv and Av questions from the clueless

[tinkabella627]

ok i have been reading my book for my camera and playing with the settings but the book isnt helping me so I am hoping someone here will help me with the answers

When I go to the Tv setting (shutter speed right?) it ranges from 15'' to 1/3200... What is an area that I would want for fireworks.

Also, my Av mode (aperture? I don't quite understand this one so much) is ranges from F2.8 to F8.0

Can someone PLEASE tell me what all this means in the simplest terms possible and tell me how I might be able to take some good pictures! I have this awesome camera and the book is useless!!

TIA

 

[FHP Mouse]

2 seconds

5.6 apeture

 

[Angrypenguin]

Welcome to the world of DSLR! To start, I'd recommend taking a look at the sticky here http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1450061

I also recommend picking up understanding exposure by bryan peterson, and/or "the digital photography book" series by Scott Kelby. The questions are fairly loaded, and would take a long time to fully explain the answer to your questions.

Although the short answer "2 seconds, 5.6 aperture" works well too

 

[GrillMouster]

In TV mode (shutter priority) you select the shutter speed and the camera chooses the aperture. Sometimes the camera isn't always correct in the aperture it chooses, so you can use exposure compensation. For fireworks start with a shutter speed of around two seconds (2") and stabilize the camera. From there you can tweak.

In AV mode (aperture priority), you select the aperture and the camera picks the shutter speed. Sometimes the camera isn't always correct in the shutter speed it chooses, so you can use exposure compensation. The lower the f-stop numbers, like f/2.8 indicates that the aperture is large. Higher f-stop numbers, like f/22, indicate that the aperture is small. The larger the aperture (lower f-stop number), the brighter the image will be, and the shallower the depth of field (area in focus) will be. The smaller the aperture (higher f-stop number), the darker the image will be, and the depth of field (area in focus) will be larger.

This brief explanation probably makes no sense, as it can be difficult to explain all about exposure in a short post, so I highly recommend that you read one or both of the following books:

The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography by Jim Miotke or Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Both books are available for cheap on Amazon, or your library may have them. There are lots of web sites on the internet that explain these concepts of photography. You'll want to learn about exposure (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and light). There's too much to explain it all on a bulletin board, but if you search around here I'm sure you find everything in bits and pieces. Trust me, it's easier to just pick up one of the books mentioned above, because they're structured in such a way that makes it easy to learn. If you try to learn it all from here you won't necessarily get all the information in the ideal order or depth.

 

[Angrypenguin]

In TV mode (shutter priority) you select the shutter speed and the camera chooses the aperture. Sometimes the camera isn't always correct in the aperture it chooses, so you can use exposure compensation. For fireworks start with a shutter speed of around two seconds (2") and stabilize the camera. From there you can tweak.

In AV mode (aperture priority), you select the aperture and the camera picks the shutter speed. Sometimes the camera isn't always correct in the shutter speed it chooses, so you can use exposure compensation. The lower the f-stop numbers, like f/2.8 indicates that the aperture is large. Higher f-stop numbers, like f/22, indicate that the aperture is small. The larger the aperture (lower f-stop number), the brighter the image will be, and the shallower the depth of field (area in focus) will be. The smaller the aperture (higher f-stop number), the darker the image will be, and the depth of field (area in focus) will be larger.

This brief explanation probably makes no sense, as it can be difficult to explain all about exposure in a short post, so I highly recommend that you read one or both of the following books:

The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography by Jim Miotke or Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Both books are available for cheap on Amazon, or your library may have them. There are lots of web sites on the internet that explain these concepts of photography. You'll want to learn about exposure (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and light). There's too much to explain it all on a bulletin board, but if you search around here I'm sure you find everything in bits and pieces. Trust me, it's easier to just pick up one of the books mentioned above, because they're structured in such a way that makes it easy to learn. If you try to learn it all from here you won't necessarily get all the information in the ideal order or depth.

Wow, we must've posted at the same time. Good quick explanation, Grilmouster! I don't have the patience to explain aperture

 

[GrillMouster]

Wow, we must've posted at the same time. Good quick explanation, Grilmouster! I don't have the patience to explain aperture

99.99999% of the time I don't have the patience to explain something in detail in a post, and I usually just point the person to a book or a web site. I mean, why recreate something when it's already done, and done way better than I could ever hope to do in a few words? Just about everything you need is a Google search away.

 

[tinkabella627]

thank you!! that basically answered what I wasn't understanding. The larger/smaller aperture was really getting to me.

And thank you to FHP mouse for the numbers!

 

[praline3001]

ok i have been reading my book for my camera and playing with the settings but the book isnt helping me so I am hoping someone here will help me with the answers

When I go to the Tv setting (shutter speed right?) it ranges from 15'' to 1/3200... What is an area that I would want for fireworks.

Also, my Av mode (aperture? I don't quite understand this one so much) is ranges from F2.8 to F8.0

Can someone PLEASE tell me what all this means in the simplest terms possible and tell me how I might be able to take some good pictures! I have this awesome camera and the book is useless!!

TIA

Hi there! I too am just starting out with photography!
Just remember if you go that slow of a shutter you dont have a chance of a clear shot unless you use a tripod ..and most likely a remote shutter release as well....unless you have the steady hands of an expert

I have been doing tons of reading over that the digital photography school (google it and you will find the link as i dont think I can post links here) It is the DIS for the photography world LOL
I have learned so much in the past month since joining their forum! Granted most of them are soooooo much better than I ever hope to be but its FREE and my shots have improved SOOO much since starting!

Here are a few photos I have done the past month using techniques I learned over there ~ not PERFECT but so much better than what I used to shoot!

That's only after a month of joining this free site/forum!
Not perfect but HUGE HUGE improvements and I finally am brave enough to move my camera off of auto

One other thing about that site is they have a lot of good info on post production software and how to use all those cool features

 

[wdwwishes]

Photography is all about practicing, practicing, practicing with your settiings and seeing your results. Not sure what kiind of camera you have but google Enjoy! Digital SLR camera and it should take you to a Canon website that has some pretty basic explanations of camera settings and their functions. Granted it's geared towards a Canon dslr but it might be helpful. I've not tried one but would be curious to do so, many camera shops sells tutorial type dvds, that's another option as well as the classes that many camera shops offer as well as their staff's basic knowledg; they're more than willing to help, just take your questions, some practice photos and your camera in. good luck

 

[MICKEY88]

2 seconds

5.6 apeture

dont ya need an iso in that equation.