Need some help understanding something...

paulpippin29

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Hello again everyone. I have a question regarding my camera that I just can't seem to answer for myself.

As I've said in my previous postings, I have a Canon AS590 IS. It's got a ton of features and I'm trying to learn how to use, but the one that is confusing me the most, is controling the flash.

Now, I do not use any of the preset shooting modes such as Auto, or Night Scene, Landscape, etc... I simply use the Manual mode. This allows me to adjust everything on my own, as you all well know.

While in manual mode, my LCD screen is of course, active and working, but, if I don't have the flash set to ON, I can't see anything on my LCD, and the image comes out black.

ISO is set to anywhere from 400 to 1600 (80 is the lowest, and 1600 is the highest on this camera)

Shutter speed is set to the maximum of 1/2000, but, the flash only allows 1/500, so when I do shoot, the shutter speed is automatically set for 1/500.

Apeture is set to the maximum of F8.0, as I'm trying to get both the forground and background for the time being, not sure why, but, just am :)

Now, I'm getting all the recommendations in my other post telling me to cut the flash off, and I couldn't agree more, but, when I do, it goes black. Even outside, during the middle of the day, I'm stilling getting black, or very darkened images, while in manual mode. Even when I set the camera up to except the most amount of light, everything still just comes out dark.

Can someone please help me with this issue? I think I could really improve if I could get this under control. Thanks in advance :)
 
Ok, your advice did indeed work, and I can now see things on the LCD, and the images are not coming out black anymore, but, they are really "grainy". I'm just taking random shots around at the moment, as I'm at a friends house, so, nothing much to shoot, lighting isn't that great here, and it's dark now as well.

What could be causing this grain to appear in my images? They look really bad, as if I'm dealing with the cheapest camera ever.
 
From what I've seen anything above 400 on the A-series Canons is a grainy mess. At the same time, if you are underexposing, you're going to get more grain. I'd suggest that you try using aperture priority mode-- take a look at the relationships between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Using manual mode is pointless if you don't have a strong grasp of the exposure continuum. (which, to put it very briefly, is that as you double your shutter speed, you need to halve your aperture to achieve the same exposure. If you want double the exposure, you need to halve one while leaving the other the same, and so on)
 
Ok, tried the AV mode, works well, but for some reason, and perhaps it's just me, the quality seems to be better with the shutter speed set high. I'm getting a bit of blur now as well, I'm assuming from the lower shutter speed, though this could provide an interesting effect I suppose :)

I'm just wondering now if I'de been better off buying a different, or better camera? Probably not, as I know it's just me, but I wish it weren't me at all :)

So, any more advice on this folks? Some more settings, combination of settings, etc.. ? I need, and will greatly accept, any and all help you all can provide.

Thanks for putting up with me so far :)
 
the grain is from your high ISO.
And the black screen is because you are completely under exposing your image. 1/2000 is WAY too fast and you are not getting any light in there to expose the shot.
If you are going to use manual mode, you need to know how to correctly expose the image. That means a combination of shutter speed, aperture and ISO to get the correct exposure.
It's not your camera, you just need to know how to use it.
Read up on exposure so that you can understand what you need to do.
 
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I saw someone mention the book on this forum, bought it right there and then off Amazon and I'm reading through it now. I'm glad I picked it up. Really helpful.
 
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I saw someone mention the book on this forum, bought it right there and then off Amazon and I'm reading through it now. I'm glad I picked it up. Really helpful.


I second this. I was having some troubles understanding features on the camera and how to tweak them when i first started too. I asked on these forums and was given the suggestion of reading this book. I could say the quality (and understanding) of all my shots shot up easily 10 fold. Ive just read half the book and worked on understanding the relationships of the exposure triangle (aperture, shutterspeed, iso). Pick it up. Well worth every cent.
 
As others have suggested. Read up a bit more.

You need to understand what it is your camera is physically doing when you take a photo.

Your 1/2000 shutterspeed could be said to underexpose your pictures, however in other circumstances that shutterspeed may provide a correct exposure.

What you need to learn is what is happing when you take a photo at that shutter speed.

However to put it very simply. Think of even your digital sensor, like a piece of film. It absorbs light and due to the reaction of light and film, the light that is captured leaves a "permanent" mark on the film. The more light you let onto the film, the more the film is marked.

An exposure, is the action of exposing the film to light.

In order to control how the film is marked, we have a lens with aperture blades and a shutter.

The Lens focuses the light onto the film, to define the exposure.

The aperture blades constrict to essentially close off the light getting into the lens (You can adjust how much the aperture blades constrict the light (adjusting your aperture)).

The shutter is like a blind that covers the film. If the shutter is closed, no light gets to the film. When the shutter opens, it lets light onto the film.

So, when you take a photo, the lens focuses the light, the aperture blades control the amount of light that enters the lens, and then the shutter controls how long that light is allowed to hit the film (exposing it).

Lastly, you have different kinds of film, differentiated by how reactive they are to light. Some film is marked by the light a lot easier and quicker than other film. Some film takes a lot longer to be marked by the light.

This is called film speed (ISO)(as in the speed at which the light exposes the film). A faster or higher film speed will mean brighter exposures.

However, due to the quality of film (and digital sensors) at these higher films speeds, usually you lose some picture detail.

So lastly, translated to a digital camera

- The lens focuses the light to make a clear image (like a set of glasses focus the light onto our eyes so we can see clearly)

- The aperture blades open up or constrict to control how much light is getting into the camera

- The shutter speed controls how long this light is allowed to get into the camera

and lastly

- The films speed (or ISO) then controls how fast the sensor (or film) is exposed by the light that has been allowed into the camera.

Then you get your photo or image that is essentially a representation of the focused and controlled light that you let inside the camera.

That may have all been a stating the obvious, or what we all know, or it may even be wrong (please correct me if i iam), but that is my understanding of how a photo is taken.

Understanding how that image gets on your LCD is the fundamental thing that will allow you to start taking great photos and controlling the quality of photo you make.
 

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