What should my first baby step be with my canon rebel xti 400?

[Hisgirl]

I purchased a canon rebel xti 400D back in 2007 and never had time to get used to it. It came with a zoom lens ef-s 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens and a zoom lens but I don't have that one with me at this time.

I'm going to WDW for 3 days tomorrow to just have fun wandering around with my camera.

I can either practice framing shots in automatic mode, OR, I can really focus on taking a baby step out of auto into M or P or AV or TV mode.

I'm a little confused as to how P and M differ and was wondering which of these non-auto modes would be a good one to play around with.

Also, I've heard this lens isn't the best as a go-to lens. What would you recommend in the less than $350 range for a better choice?

And lastly, I need a filter for the lens. Any particular one? Thank you so much. I must sound like such a newbie!

 

[hakepb]

I'd concentrate on framing shots in Auto
You might want to experiment a little with Tv. I think that is shutter speed priority. If Auto results in a blurry photo due to too much motion of the subject, you can set a faster shutter speed.

Most photographers stay in Av (aperature priority) for the most creative control, an occasionally use Tv as needed.

Filters are mostly a film thing, you can digitally apply most filter effects. Some use ND filters for specific shots.

 

[Hisgirl]

Thank you! I'll try that!

The filter I used to have was one that helped remove sun glare. Not sure what that is called or if it is necessary.

 

[wiigirl]

I'd concentrate on framing shots in Auto
You might want to experiment a little with Tv. I think that is shutter speed priority. If Auto results in a blurry photo due to too much motion of the subject, you can set a faster shutter speed.

Most photographers stay in Av (aperature priority) for the most creative control, an occasionally use Tv as needed.

Filters are mostly a film thing, you can digitally apply most filter effects. Some use ND filters for specific shots.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Thank you! I'll try that!

The filter I used to have was one that helped remove sun glare. Not sure what that is called or if it is necessary.

That filter is probably a polarizer, hopefully a circular polarizer. A circular polarizing filter can be useful, especially in the harsh Florida sun. It can slow your shutter speed so be careful to prevent blurring. From what you described, you have kit lenses combined with a camera with max 1600 ISO. I'm not totally familiar with your camera's capabilities at the higher ISO's, but you should have modest expectations if you try to shoot in lowlight as in the darker rides. Your camera/lens combination will work well in good lighting situations. Since you are not totally familiar with your camera, my recommendation would be to shoot in automatic and concern myself with composition. Have fun!

 

[havoc315]

A filter really isn't critical.
I'd concentrate on composition and test out Aperture priority mode to play with depth of field. A small A number will give you background blur. A large number keeps more of the background sharp.

 

[mom2rtk]

The time to step out of your comfort zone is further in advance of the trip when you can afford to miss some shots.

I lived with my Xti in auto or program mode its entire life and was very happy with many shots I got. It wasn't until after it died and I was on to a new body that I finally got out of my comfort zone and figured out what I was doing. I will say that the first trip I took when I stepped out of P and Auto I felt like my shot quality dropped some. I'd forget to change the ISO when I went back outdoors, I'd leave it in Ap with the aperture open too wide and some shots would be overexposed. You have to be willing to take that hit at SOME point though to mover forward with your photography. I just personally wouldn't do it on a trip when it was important not to miss any shots.

A great place to start when you have time is with Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure.

 

[Hisgirl]

I really want to learn. I'm old school. A journalism major who spent time in the dark room developing film. The whole digital thing...well, it's time I put on my big girl britches and put away the point n' shoot!
I'd like to find a video teaching series where I could learn at my own pace. Any suggestions? Thank you so much!

 

[photo_chick]

I purchased a canon rebel xti 400D back in 2007 and never had time to get used to it. It came with a zoom lens ef-s 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens and a zoom lens but I don't have that one with me at this time.

I'm going to WDW for 3 days tomorrow to just have fun wandering around with my camera.

I can either practice framing shots in automatic mode, OR, I can really focus on taking a baby step out of auto into M or P or AV or TV mode.

I'm a little confused as to how P and M differ and was wondering which of these non-auto modes would be a good one to play around with.

Also, I've heard this lens isn't the best as a go-to lens. What would you recommend in the less than $350 range for a better choice?

And lastly, I need a filter for the lens. Any particular one? Thank you so much. I must sound like such a newbie!

A filter is not mandatory. A lot of shops and old school photographers try to sell you on a UV filter but they really don't do anything for digital. A polarizer is useful but I wouldn't jump on that ship until you know more of what you're doing.

Do you have a lens hood? It's an important tool. It helps prevent lens flare and will be very useful for outdoor daytime shooting. Also if you keep it on your lens it will protect the front element quite a bit.

P mode is like Auto on steroids. It begins with everything set as it would be on auto then you can tweak from there. M mode begins at whatever you last had it set at. I would suggest learning what the shutter speed and aperture do, then choosing Tv or Av to play with if you really want to get off auto. That gives you just one variable to worry about controlling.

I'm a photo major who shoots a lot of film. Digital is just like film in camera. All the basic technical aspects are the same. And a lot of digital processing can be related easily to what we do at the enlarger.

 

[bridget]

I use either AV or TV.

If you google Photography Cheat Sheets, you'll find some great ones to help with aperture and shutter speed.

When I was learning, I would go outside and take a picture of one object and every time I clicked, I would adjust the shutter speed. Then I would do the same thing with aperture.

I use Picasa to download pictures, and you can have the photography info displayed. This will help you see what pictures you like, and the settings you used.

It was a lot of snapping pictures, downloading, taking notes, and then doing it all over It really helped!

I'd also recommend playing with ISO.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

READ THE MANUAL! Lol, you still have time I hope.... knowing your gear and its capabilities will save you more aggravation IMHO....

 

[fla4fun]

I'm going to WDW for 3 days tomorrow to just have fun wandering around with my camera.

I'm a little confused as to how P and M differ and was wondering which of these non-auto modes would be a good one to play around with.

WDW is a great place to learn what your camera can do. I did the same thing in October when I bought my new DSLR - went on a Disney photo expedition. Sometimes I would just sit on a bench and take photos of the same landscape or building using different settings to see what worked best. By the time I went back in December, I had a much better handle on how to get good Disney photos.

M is Manual - you can set all the parameters manually for the photo, including ISO, shutter speed and aperture. While this allows for great creative options, it's a little daunting when you're first starting out. If you want to use this mode on the trip, I would practice a little at home first and plan on a lot of patience.

P is Program. It's a lot like Auto, in that you can set a few limited things, and the camera sets the rest. I prefer Program to Auto when I want the camera to do most of the thinking because it usually supresses the flash and it does allow me to select ISO, which can be very important. The photos seem to turn out better in Program than Auto as well, at least with my camera.

At about 2 1/2 months out, I'm doing most of my shooting in Av or P mode, but I still experiment with the other settings just to see what they will do. That's part of the fun! I'm working on using M a little more, but it's still taking me too long to get everything adjusted how I want it. Practice makes perfect though, so I'll keep at it.

Enjoy!

 

[Razor Roman]

my photo tips- I have a Rebel T3, upgraded from the original plain old Digital Rebel....

This option wasn't available on my original, but for walking around I almost always have my ISO set to "Auto" - My camera will shoot upto 3200 ISO, but to keep grain down (I'd rather bump it up in Photoshop if it's a little dark), I set the maximum ISO to use in Auto mode to 1600. If your camera has that option, use it!

When I'm outside walking around, I usually shoot in Av mode, with my aperture set at around f/11, then if I want to play around with a shallow depth of field, I can open up the aperture - I have prime lenses that go to 1.8 and 2.8 - this is good if you want a picture of something with the nice blurry background. The lower this number is, the more blurry the background gets.

If I'm shooting a show or a dark ride, I switch to Tv mode - this is shutter speed priority mode - again, I leave ISO on Auto, and set my shutter speed somewhere between 1/200 and 1/100, this is usually enough that I don't get motion blur. Set the aperture to the lowest number that your lens supports - most of the zoom lenses have higher numbers when zoomed all the way in, but this lets the maximum amount of light into your lens.

If you have a picture that you really like but it's a little dark or underexposed and you have to brighten it up in an editing program, sometimes turning it into black and white can make it look really cool and hide a "world of hurt"

If I'm doing a setup to really make a great shot or other things, I'll do M mode and play with the settings til I get what I need, but for general traveling, especially with someone else, I don't want to worry too much about my settings.

 

[SrisonS]

my photo tips- I have a Rebel T3, upgraded from the original plain old Digital Rebel.... This option wasn't available on my original, but for walking around I almost always have my ISO set to "Auto" - My camera will shoot upto 3200 ISO, but to keep grain down (I'd rather bump it up in Photoshop if it's a little dark), I set the maximum ISO to use in Auto mode to 1600. If your camera has that option, use it! When I'm outside walking around, I usually shoot in Av mode, with my aperture set at around f/11, then if I want to play around with a shallow depth of field, I can open up the aperture - I have prime lenses that go to 1.8 and 2.8 - this is good if you want a picture of something with the nice blurry background. The lower this number is, the more blurry the background gets. If I'm shooting a show or a dark ride, I switch to Tv mode - this is shutter speed priority mode - again, I leave ISO on Auto, and set my shutter speed somewhere between 1/200 and 1/100, this is usually enough that I don't get motion blur. Set the aperture to the lowest number that your lens supports - most of the zoom lenses have higher numbers when zoomed all the way in, but this lets the maximum amount of light into your lens. If you have a picture that you really like but it's a little dark or underexposed and you have to brighten it up in an editing program, sometimes turning it into black and white can make it look really cool and hide a "world of hurt" If I'm doing a setup to really make a great shot or other things, I'll do M mode and play with the settings til I get what I need, but for general traveling, especially with someone else, I don't want to worry too much about my settings.

Ditto.

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

I'm inclined to tell you to go full manual mode unless you are trying to capture memories.

If you are going specifically to learn your camera, you can take a picture of something, change some settings, take a picture, see how it changed and repeat. If you have no idea what iso, aperture and shutter speed are then this will be more difficult. If you know what these things do at a basic level but are unsure how they work together, you may benefit from going full manual.

It kind of depends on your learning style as well. I prefer learning by trial and error. Take a picture, see what's wrong with it, evaluate how to make it better (technically not aesthetically), do it again.

Manual can be a a lot on the brain while learning, though, and you asked for baby steps :/

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

Duplicate post

 

[photo_chick]

This option wasn't available on my original, but for walking around I almost always have my ISO set to "Auto" - My camera will shoot upto 3200 ISO, but to keep grain down (I'd rather bump it up in Photoshop if it's a little dark), I set the maximum ISO to use in Auto mode to 1600. If your camera has that option, use it!

This practice tends to cause more noise and detail loss than if you'd exposed at an equally higher ISO in camera. A generally well accepted rule of thumb to minimize noise is to expose to the right half a stop or so then bring the exposure down in post. You'll have far less shadow noise that way.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

The very first thing you should do with any new Canon DSLR is to go into the menu and change the default setting on the option "Release Shutter Without Card." If it's enabled, disable it.

Canon has the default set on this to allow the camera to release the shutter without a card, presumably so prospective buyers can pick up the camera in a camera store and hear the click.

Believe me, it's very disheartening to get to the end of a long day of shooting pictures only to find an empty card slot. Many a Canon shooter has learned this one the hard way. Myself included.

 

[mom2rtk]

The very first thing you should do with any new Canon DSLR is to go into the menu and change the default setting on the option "Release Shutter Without Card." If it's enabled, disable it.

Canon has the default set on this to allow the camera to release the shutter without a card, presumably so prospective buyers can pick up the camera in a camera store and hear the click.

Believe me, it's very disheartening to get to the end of a long day of shooting pictures only to find an empty card slot. Many a Canon shooter has learned this one the hard way. Myself included.

LOL, I agree. Do not ask how I know it's a good idea.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I can either practice framing shots in automatic mode, OR, I can really focus on taking a baby step out of auto into M or P or AV or TV mode.

I'm going to go in a different direction from previous posters. Concentrate on composition, first. If you have time before your trip, take a look at this recent thread and check out some of the links at the bottom of post #2. Any beginner's photography book will also certainly have a chapter on composition. Focusing your learning and practice on composition will take you on the first step from snapshot to artistic shot. As you grow artistically, you'll want to refine your shots further. This will lead you to needing the more-advanced settings on your camera.

Read about two settings in your manual before your trip: aperture priority mode (Av) and exposure compensation.

Concentrate on outdoor photos for this trip. (Dark shots are trickier. Learn the basics outside where it's less complicated.) With your camera in Av mode, choose a nice low ISO and start playing.

Do some experimenting to see how changing the aperture setting affects the depth of field. Use exposure compensation to tweak the exposure if the camera isn’t getting it quite right. Then use the composition guidelines to help you look at WDW with a different eye.