But what does it all MEAN!?!?

[GhostChaser]

ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture Priority, F-Stops, 25-300mm, Exposure, 15 elements in 14 groups, white balance...

What are all those things and why are they important!??! Do they all really matter for each and every shot? Should I shoot in Manual, Av, Tv, P, or Auto? Should I buy an external flash? Why do professional photographers carry a bag full of 57 lenses and filters? Machine wash or dry clean? Duct tape or superglue?

Can someone explain the absolute BASICS of all this for all us noobs?!?!

 

[drflet]

I wrote an article that covers a lot of this:
http://www.cheapshooter.com/2007/08/13/9-digital-camera-settings-for-every-photographer-to-discover/

Hope that helps!
Dan

 

[Big Mike]

I suggest you pick up a good book on photography and/or basic exposure. That would probably be easier than having someone (like me) typing out a whole book's worth of knowledge. Once you have read about it, and hopefully picked up some of the terms and their meaning....then you can ask more specific questions here...and get good answers.

ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture Priority, F-Stops, 25-300mm, Exposure, 15 elements in 14 groups, white balance...
What are all those things and why are they important!??! Do they all really matter for each and every shot?

Most of that is important to photography...because they are involved in each and every shot. There has to be a shutter speed and there has to be an aperture and there has to be a sensitivity (ISO). The lens has to have a focal length and an aperture.

Do you need to fully understand all this to take a photograph...certainly not, especially with modern cameras. But understanding the variables will let you create photos, rather than just taking them.

15 elements in 14 groups

That has to do with lens design and construction...I wouldn't bother yourself about that.

Should I shoot in Manual, Av, Tv, P, or Auto?

I shoot it all those modes, depending on the situation. You need to understand what they do, and why you would use them in a given situation.

Should I buy an external flash?

An external flash will allow you to get much better results than using the built-in flash. If that is important to you, then yes.

Why do professional photographers carry a bag full of 57 lenses and filters?

To get the best results, you need to use the right tool for the job. A carpenter might have a hammer and a tape measure...he could pound in a nail with a tape measure, but he would get better results by using the hammer.

 

[drflet]

To get the best results, you need to use the right tool for the job. A carpenter might have a hammer and a tape measure...he could pound in a nail with a tape measure, but he would get better results by using the hammer.

Good way of putting it.

 

[mtyler24]

another member recently put this site up, and it's really helping me to learn http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm

 

[Antithesis]

I just started here and picked up my first dSLR a couple weeks ago. I'd recommend reading a few books, I somehow know what all those things mean.

The shooting modes allow you to adjust the variables of a given shot. You generally control aperature and shutter speed on the fly, and you set ISO for a given type of light. ISO just cranks up the sensor on your camera for lower light, but at the cost of image quality. It will get really grainy and just plain ugly. Shutter speed can be adjusted to a fast shutter speed to stop motion or slow to show movement. Aperature is important in both your depth of field (the range of objects that are in focus) and allowing a certain amount of light to hit your film or sensor and will usually have to be adjusted alongside your shutter speed.

Manual = control of both shutter and aperature, Av = aperature priority, the camera adjusts your shutter speed while you adjust aperature, Tv = shutter priority (vice versa), Program is something I haven't bothered with yet, and auto is point and shoot, camera does everything for you.

All that in about two weeks, I'm a quick learner

As far as the big bags of gear go, I'm going to learn how to use my camera and two lenses as best I can before I start picking up nicer lenses and what have you. I will probably be getting an external flash because the light does look much nicer, but no thousand dollar lenses.

 

[hamster]

Really, buy Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Read as much as you can on the internet. If you're committed and excited enough, you will devour all the information out there.

 

[Andreal]

But understanding the variables will let you create photos, rather than just taking them.

This is the best way of putting it I have ever heard

 

[LokiZ]

To get the best results, you need to use the right tool for the job. A carpenter might have a hammer and a tape measure...he could pound in a nail with a tape measure, but he would get better results by using the hammer.

I agree with Big mike fully and to go even further a carpenter may have a claw hammer, a ball pien hammer, a sledge hammer, heck he may even have a tack hammer. All closely related, all better then using a tape measure to hammer something, but still all having specialized uses.

Hense a bag full of 57 lens. Wow I might have to have a dream of 57 lens

 

[GhostChaser]

Excellent... I got all the responses I wanted! A few really clever analogies (lol), a couple of links, and some book recommendations!!

I actually picked up a copy of the Digital Rebel Field Guide today. It looks like a REALLY good book!

 

[firemedic0135]

Here is another vote for understanding exposure.It is a great book that I still flip through from time to time to refresh my memory.

 

[Antithesis]

I think the first photography book I picked up was the lonely planet travel photography guide. I kinda picked it up on a whim because I like to travel and it led to my new camera and love of photography. It comes highly recommended

 

[Garbz]

15 elements in 14 groups is marketing, ignore it

 

[Hertz van Rental]

... understanding the variables will let you create photos, rather than just taking them.

Not strictly true.
Understanding the variables lets you exercise control over them rather than being at the mercy of the camera settings.
Creating photographs requires something more than technical knowledge. I think it's called 'imagination'

 

[TCimages]

Here is a very basic overview, but it may help:

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/enjoydslr/index.html