Couple Beginner Questions

nutsngum

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Just have a couple quick questions...

1. Is there a rule of sorts when adjusting your shutter speed and aperture? Does picking one influence the other in any way? I'm just wondering if there's a general rule now and how that works.

2. I have a Canon XTI with the normal 18-55mm lens. Should I get a UV filter for it? What other accessories are useful for the lens or my camera?

3. I've heard the Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens is a really good indoor lens. Is that a lens that is worth picking up? I'm going to NYC in a couple days so I'm thinking I might stop by the B&H store.

Thanks!
 
1- There's something called exposure value, the result of shutter speed X aperture, in a simple way both controlling the amount of light, and are related; they are inversely proportional.
Shutter speeds are time values, 1/500 of a second is all about how much time are you allowing your film or sensor to be exposed to light. Apertures are about controlling depth of field, how many elements on a distance are focused, shallow depth of field for ex. means a photo where a guy stand in focus and all people behind are out of focus and sort of blurry, it's an effect that requires a large aperture, and increased shutter speed.

The trick is to maintain the same exposure value, your meter will tell you how to expose your photo, but then again, it's up you to under or over expose it(darker or lighter), if you want a particular effect that requires a low shutter speed(motion blur for example), you need to maintain your exposure value and decrease the aperture, to control the amount of light.
Or vice versa. It's not a small question, it's important and fundamental to understand these things, my answer is not sufficient, you'll need to read more if you'd like to.

It's not complicated either, but it's simply very basic and not ignorable.

Some links to help you:
http://johnlind.tripod.com/science/scienceexposure.html
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/fototech/apershutter/exposure.htm
(these have photos to help you get the point)

2- An UV filter is always recommended, it protects and doesn't affect your photos, a lens hood should be useful, with flares at bright light for example, and really protects your lens, about other accessories, if you are gonna start, you gotta be curious and there are endless stuff to learn, but don't start with too much to understand.

3-I donno.
 
Look up 'basic exposure'. Aperture, shutter speed and ISO all affect your exposure. If you change one, the others must also change (to keep the same exposure).

I wouldn't bother with a UV filter (well, I don't). I'd suggest a polarizer instead.

Yes, the 50mm F1.8 is a pretty good lens, especially because it's cheap. It's much better than the 18-55 lens because it lets in more light (larger aperture), which allows you to use a faster shutter speed.
 
The 50mm F1.8 lens is without a doubt one of the best investments I've made in a long time, camera-wise. It's cheap, to begin with. But on top of that, it's really crisp and extremely fast...great for shooting in low light situations without the intrusiveness of a flash.
 
I think that using a fixed focal length lens like the 50mm is an excellent way to learn composition, and it is very inexpensive. I would pick one up.

I put filters on the front of every lens, for protection. I would much rather smudge (or have mud thrown on) a filter than the front element of my lens.
 
I absolutely love my 50mm!!! very good investment I got mine on Amazon.com for like 80 bucks
 

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