definately a beginner

[raerae25122]

Hey everyone. New owner of a Nikon D80 that is clueless about photography. My outside shots seem okay, but action and indoor shots stink. I tend to leave my ISO on about 300-400 all the time. I use P mode most of the time unless i'm shooting t-ball games and then I use S mode. I have no additional flash right now. Does anyone have an suggestions on which flash to get. I'm not specifically using any custom settings. Any advice and opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[asfixiate]

What lenses are you using? have you read up on TV or AV modes?

 

[TamiyaGuy]

A Nikon SB-600 flashgun is a very nice, mid-range flash for pretty much all uses. It's nice and powerful, is very easy to use, and has a tilt/rotate head so you can "bounce" the flash's light off a wall or ceiling for a more natural look. It's pretty cheap as well, and, in certain cases, exceedes the top-end SB-800 (for example, the LCD is easier to read)

Also, because you have a D80, you can fire the SB-600 wirelessly using the D80's built-in Commander Mode. (more info on that on THIS PAGE) So yes, the SB-600 is a great flash to get.

Also, sorry if this has already been mentioned; I've just had dinner and can only check recent posts after I've posted.

 

[ANDS!]

Something tells me if this person is a "noob" at photography, tossing in a SB600 before they get the "basics" down is going to be disastrous.

 

[raerae25122]

I have two different lenses. For most of my up close every day shots i use the 18-55 mm lense. I also have the 55-200mm lense for more distance. OH and no I haven't read up on TV or AV modes. Where can I check that out at?

 

[raerae25122]

Something tells me if this person is a "noob" at photography, tossing in a SB600 before they get the "basics" down is going to be disastrous.

I know a little, and I think I do need a flash desperately b/c I always have bad shadows and just not enough light. The built-in flash just doesn't cut it. I'm wondering if that alone would make my indoor shots much better.

 

[sultan]

The SB-600 is good but even a SB-400 may do for you. May I suggest buying a book about photography to learn the basics? Often that's all a beginner needs.

 

[asfixiate]

Don't worry about the whole noob vs pro thing. Its a flash that mounts on the camera. I'm sure you will figure it out.

Your camera shoud have a manual. that's a good start on the TV vs AV.

 

[RyanLilly]

I could be wrong but I thought Av and Tv were Canon terms and Nikon Labeled them as something else possibly Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, can any Nikon users chime in here?

 

[asfixiate]

Ryan you are right on. AV and TV in my manual say Shutter priority and Aperture priority in the description.

 

[raerae25122]

okay good...i was getting confused for a min, but i didn't realize they were talking canon talk...so on my nikon on the main dial i'm looking for M, A, S, and P right? And is P good to use for most occasions.

 

[table1349]

I am going to make two recommendations here. First, go out and borrow or buy a copy of Understand Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It is a book that every new photographer, and frankly any photographer should have in their library.

Secondly, now would be a great time to get the camera out of what I call IDIOT MODE. Please do not take offense, I am not calling someone that uses the basic settings an Idiot. The camera has no understanding of what it is you are shooting. It doesn't know an apple from a kid swinging a bat. When you set the camera to the Sports mode it has a set of pre-programed peramaters it tries to get close to. A lot of the time it can not do so. When it can't you look at the photos and wonder why they didn't turn out like you wanted. The camera just guesses as it has no brain. The same thing is true with most of the Basic modes. The camera has no clue it just guesses based on the light available and the mode you set the camera in.

Shutter and Aperture mode, commonly referred to as the Creative Modes along with Manual will allow you to set the necessary exposure to get the shot you want. To do this, you need to understand how they work in relationship to each other, to ISO and the available light. That is where the book Understanding Exposure comes in. If you read it it will explain virtually everything you need to know to get started.

Once you have a basic understanding on how they work together you will have an understanding on what it takes in different situations. For sports you want a fast shutter speed and a large aperture. This allows you to freeze the action and still produce that nice bokeh that sets the action off. In portrait photographer the shutter speed is less important, but a wide aperture is usually desireable. For landscape, a smaller aperture to provide greater depth of field. All things you can easily accomplish once you have the basics down. Good luck and have fun using that new camera.

As for a flash for sports. Leave it at home. Many sports do not allow flash photography anyhow. The SB-600 would be a good start for other uses however.

 

[ANDS!]

I know a little, and I think I do need a flash desperately b/c I always have bad shadows and just not enough light.

What exactly are you shooting "indoors"? I will agree that an off-camera flash will provide a better flash than the one on your camera, but I'm just curious on what you are shooting that you feel you REALLY need it (at least this soon into your introduction to photo-graphy).

What do you mean by "bad shadows". Shadows are shadows. Are you shooting portrait work? I would agree there then, because you do want to be more in control of the shadows and how it affects your shots. If were talking about general shots outside, I don't see the need (at this point). Thats not to say you cant use one outside, just that for what (Im assuming) you need to use it for, is not going to be much use.

 

[RyanLilly]

okay good...i was getting confused for a min, but i didn't realize they were talking canon talk...so on my nikon on the main dial i'm looking for M, A, S, and P right? And is P good to use for most occasions.

P(program) pretty much is just set it an forget it mode, It does the work for you. You were also right on using S(shutter priority) for shooting T-Ball, because of the fast shutter speeds needed to freeze action. I usually shoot people in A (Av) (Aperture priority) so I can choose an aperture and control my depth of field, and let the camera worry about the shutter speed. This works very well for portraits and pictures where I want to single out one subject. Really the only time I shoot in M (manual) is if I am using flash(I only have a manual flash).

I also have no Idea what the "v" in all of the canon terms means. And why is shutter priority called "Tv"? I don't know; maybe "time"? I don't care to look it up either. But its kind of stupid.

 

[table1349]

P(program) pretty much is just set it an forget it mode, It does the work for you. You were also right on using S(shutter priority) for shooting T-Ball, because of the fast shutter speeds needed to freeze action. I usually shoot people in A (Av) (Aperture priority) so I can choose an aperture and control my depth of field, and let the camera worry about the shutter speed. This works very well for portraits and pictures where I want to single out one subject. Really the only time I shoot in M (manual) is if I am using flash(I only have a manual flash).

I also have no Idea what the "v" in all of the canon terms means. And why is shutter priority called "Tv"? I don't know; maybe "time"? I don't care to look it up either. But its kind of stupid.

In Canonesse Tv stand for Time Value and Av stands for Aperture Value. I shoot a lot of sports and would recommend that you try Aperture priority once. Set the aperture for the dof you want. Shallow dof is usually the best as the bokeh it will produce really highlights the action and adjust the shutter speed with your ISO. It can really make the action pop in a photo.