Help me use my D800

[Mrgiggls]

neither do I. It's ok to buy ahead of your capabilities, but there is some responsibilty that comes with that.

What responsibility? It's his money to spend how he wants. If he wants to blow a wad on a camera he doesn't understand how to use so what? It happens all the time. As I see it the only responsibility he has is to fill out and send in the warranty registration card:lmao:

 

[belial]

Well thats not entirely true hahaha. The same can be said for canon shooters. Lol

Usually more often from canon shooters. And this is coming from a canon shooter with a rebel and no pro lenses yet. But I used my green box for two shots the first day and hated it and started shooting manual immediately and haven't looked back.

 

[lemonart]

Ok I'm going to weigh in as a former recent noob (now less of a noob but still have a lot to learn).

First of all, my first DSLR was a D90. Definitely entry level but far from the lowest end, and i grew into it. Now I've graduated to a D7000 (grew into it). If I had the money I would buy a D800 to grow into that too despite it being a lot of camera for me. So I'm in agreement with the idea that you can grow into a camera.

However, I read my ass off! I poured through photography books and got my friends in the know to help me. I came a long way very fast and it was because of reading, researching, and actually taking pictures. Before I even bought my D90 I read my ass off so I at least knew what the heck terms like "aperture" and "shutter speed" and "ISO" meant. I was literally coming from almost zero experience directly into a D90. And it was confusing. And I used auto for a while, but I knew out the gate that auto was NOT why I bought a DSLR. I mostly used auto to see what sorts of settings the camera was selecting for each scene. I got an idea of what was happening and combined with reading, taking pics, and training my eye... I'm now a capable camera user.... Not a pro or even incredibly skilled, but capable and loving learning!

So, no, there is no short cut. BUT, I don't doubt you can grow into this camera. You just have a way steeper learning curve than most and you need to put in the research and learning. One book I can't recommend enough is "Understanding Exposure". That book right there answered at least half of my questions about how to "drive stick" with my camera

Lem

 

[SilliG]

Well following Graystar's camera recommendations and shooting in Aperture priority mode I took some photos this weekend. Some of the things I noted was that the memory used by this camera is enormous I have a 8gb SD card and I only got abt 60 photos of it using jpeg fine + raw. I used to get abt 250 using the same image quality on my d90. The weight of this camera has over my D90 I mean its not heavy but I can feel the difference.

So here are some of my test shots using my d800 shooting with my 50mm 1.8.

I mainly kept my aperture at 1.8 or 3.5 being a noob I thought the lower DOF wud be better with close up shots. Also it was the first time I used my circular polarizer. It was cloudy outside I didn't think it was going to have much of an impact but it seemed to darken my photos. You can always check my EXIF info out to see what I was shooting with.

After READING! I found out I should keep the sun to my back when using a circular polarizer. Also to get the sharpest Apeture for this lens I should be at a F/5.6 or F/8. After work I am going to test this theory out. Any tips on what good Aperture settings I should be at would help!


DSC_0162 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0211 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0185 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0107 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0125 by SilliG25, on Flickr


DSC_0145 by SilliG25, on Flickr

 

[2WheelPhoto]

This thread delivers

 

[mjhoward]

:lmao: This is some funny $hit... Asks where the Auto mode is on his new D800... but doesn't need ANY advice on getting a watermark on them test photos!

 

[IByte]

:lmao: This is some funny $hit... Asks where the Auto mode is on his new D800... but doesn't need ANY advice on getting a watermark on them test photos!

They're a college student

 

[SilliG]

Well after taking some pics at f/5.6 and f/6.3 . I think they came out alright f/6.3 I think came out best tho. I find that getting close ups are a bit more sharper at 1.8. Any advice on f/ settings are welcomed! Here are the results

f/1.8

DSC_0162 by SilliG25, on Flickr

f/5.6

DSC_0215 by SilliG25, on Flickr

f/6.3

DSC_0234 by SilliG25, on Flickr

 

[SilliG]

I mainly kept my aperture at 1.8 or 3.5 being a noob I thought the lower DOF wud be better with close up shots. Also it was the first time I used my circular polarizer. It was cloudy outside I didn't think it was going to have much of an impact but it seemed to darken my photos. You can always check my EXIF info out to see what I was shooting with.

After READING! I found out I should keep the sun to my back when using a circular polarizer. Also to get the sharpest Apeture for this lens I should be at a F/5.6 or F/8. After work I am going to test this theory out. Any tips on what good Aperture settings I should be at would help!

On aperture, remember that sharpness isn't everything. The last shot of the car on the tray is a perfect example of the subject isolation you get with wide apertures. When you blur the surroundings of your subject, it makes the subject stand out. There are times when sharpness is paramount, such as with landscapes, photographs of paintings and other artwork, insect macros, etc. In cases where the details matter, you should use your sharpest aperture. But using such an aperture for all of your photographs would make for a lot of boring shots. That car on the tray wouldn't be nearly as interesting if the entire image were in sharp focus.

Using a polarizer takes a little bit of understanding. They're most effective when the light source (usually the sun) is 90 degrees to the lens. For example, if the sun were directly overhead, then the greatest polarizing effect would be along the entire horizon. Outdoors, polarizers will darken a blue sky, increasing the contrast with clouds. They'll help lift shadows and brighten foliage.

Polarizers are also good for cutting reflections off of glass and water, but again, the angles have to be right. You may read that polarizers don't work on metal, which is only partially true...the polarizer will cut reflections of polarized light from metal. If you have an LCD monitor on your computer, then you have a source of polarized light you can play with. Look at your monitor through your polarizer.

Here's a PDF on polarizers.
http://archive.popphoto.com/pdfs/2002/0902/Polarizer.pdf

Thank you Graystar once again. I am just reading this ^ and I get what your saying with sharpness if all the photos are sharp they will start to blend and all look alike. Also when blurring some areas of the photo it makes the sharp area of the photo pop out more and gives it more of a creative touch.

Also thank you for the information on polarizers the pdf is a great read. I will play with my computer screen tonight and maybe some landscape outside to see what kind of results I can get with the polorizer.

 

[Derrel]

:lmao: This is some funny $hit... Asks where the Auto mode is on his new D800... but doesn't need ANY advice on getting a watermark on them test photos!

Huh...mjhoward, I find your post to be incredibly smart-alecky and extremely condescending and yet, at the same time, it is a brilliant observation, and entirely factual, and exceedingly humorous in an ironic sort of way...and it is so compelling a post that immediately upon reading your post, I felt the urge to paste it in as my sig file (but just as a temporary sig file to be used only for a short period of time). Huh. It's like the double-edged sword, ya know?

Anyway...yeah...D800 on autopilot seems a bit excessive, but then again, there are not "that many" choices in Nikon bodies right now for the person who wants to buy a good camera and hopes to "grow into it". I've seen this before. I think we have ALL seen this before. I thought that lemonart's post, post #50, had some really good advice as far as reading, studying,practicing, and asking photographer friends for help and tips and assistance and such. I think maybe it's like the back-to-school clothes buying when your mom said, "Yes, sure they're a little big right NOW, but you'll grow into them!"

 

[mjhoward]

Anyway...yeah...D800 on autopilot seems a bit excessive, but then again, there are not "that many" choices in Nikon bodies right now for the person who wants to buy a good camera and hopes to "grow into it".

The thing is, he HAD a perfectly good D90 to be learning the basics with and it would have been great to grow into. Admittedly, he only used it on AUTO all the time. I assume that he thought by purchasing a D800, it would take better AUTO photos, hence why I found my previous observation so funny

BTW, I find it interesting when people are willing to invest so much money into something they claim to be so interested in and have a passion for but yet don't care to invest any time intor learning a thing about what it is or how it works... seems a bit contradicting to me.

 

[SilliG]

Anyway...yeah...D800 on autopilot seems a bit excessive, but then again, there are not "that many" choices in Nikon bodies right now for the person who wants to buy a good camera and hopes to "grow into it".

The thing is, he HAD a perfectly good D90 to be learning the basics with and it would have been great to grow into. Admittedly, he only used it on AUTO all the time. I assume that he thought by purchasing a D800, it would take better AUTO photos, hence why I found my previous observation so funny

BTW, I find it interesting when people are willing to invest so much money into something they claim to be so interested in and have a passion for but yet don't care to invest any time intor learning a thing about what it is or how it works... seems a bit contradicting to me.

I did admit of using AUTO on my D90 I ALSO said I shot on Aperture priority mode as well. I just started getting into cameras around this past Christmas but just recently was able to focus more time to it. Since this past winter I was still in school. I was slowly getting away from shooting on AUTO and I was learning a lot more about photography but I never got on a forum and sought advice. Not only did I have to learn about photography by myself but also post processing as well which is where I made up a watermark. I do not have any friends who are really into photography like that. Did I do some of my own research and see the advantages of a fx camera yes. This is something that I wanted and saved up and bought. Did I buy a D800 and expect it to have an AUTO mode ... yes. Was my intent going in to always use it ... NO. I just spent a lot of money then I realized I didnt exactly know how to work it. So I came on this website seeking advice to hopefully shorten the learning curve so I can get to shooting and learning more abt photography. The willingness to learn is there also with the help of people like Graystar it has made this transition of learning this camera and becoming familiar with photography easier. I will continue to ask questions and post my results so if anyone may have gone down a similar path as me it will help them learn quicker. The forum is about building a strong community of enthusiasts no matter how well they knew it coming into it. I came here seeking advice not to be bombarded with immature bashing about your opinions of me spending $ on a camera. If your not here to help then don't comment. Im sure there are plenty of other threads on here that might strike your interest more.

 

[mjhoward]

Anyway...yeah...D800 on autopilot seems a bit excessive, but then again, there are not "that many" choices in Nikon bodies right now for the person who wants to buy a good camera and hopes to "grow into it".

The thing is, he HAD a perfectly good D90 to be learning the basics with and it would have been great to grow into. Admittedly, he only used it on AUTO all the time. I assume that he thought by purchasing a D800, it would take better AUTO photos, hence why I found my previous observation so funny

BTW, I find it interesting when people are willing to invest so much money into something they claim to be so interested in and have a passion for but yet don't care to invest any time intor learning a thing about what it is or how it works... seems a bit contradicting to me.

I did admit of using AUTO on my D90 I ALSO said I shot on Aperture priority mode as well. I just started getting into cameras around this past Christmas but just recently was able to focus more time to it. Since this past winter I was still in school. I was slowly getting away from shooting on AUTO and I was learning a lot more about photography but I never got on a forum and sought advice. Not only did I have to learn about photography by myself but also post processing as well which is where I made up a watermark. I do not have any friends who are really into photography like that. Did I do some of my own research and see the advantages of a fx camera yes. This is something that I wanted and saved up and bought. Did I buy a D800 and expect it to have an AUTO mode ... yes. Was my intent going in to always use it ... NO. I just spent a lot of money then I realized I didnt exactly know how to work it. So I came on this website seeking advice to hopefully shorten the learning curve so I can get to shooting and learning more abt photography. The willingness to learn is there also with the help of people like Graystar it has made this transition of learning this camera and becoming familiar with photography easier. I will continue to ask questions and post my results so if anyone may have gone down a similar path as me it will help them learn quicker. The forum is about building a strong community of enthusiasts no matter how well they knew it coming into it. I came here seeking advice not to be bombarded with immature bashing about your opinions of me spending $ on a camera. If your not here to help then don't comment. Im sure there are plenty of other threads on here that might strike your interest more.

Fair enough Sillig, I wasn't trying to bash you particularly, I was mainly making an observation. I'm also sorry to have rubbed you the wrong way, especially since it seems you do have a genuine interest, but I've seen MANY people come to the boards and just expect that a newer camera will automatically mean better pictures and then they won't put in any effort to learn how to use their camera. If you'd like help, try asking about more specific aspects rather than very broad topics. In your first post, you simply ask us to tell you how to use your camera. People at TPF are more inclined to help when it is evident that you've made an effort yourself.

As for me, I would be more than happy to help you learn things in anyway that I can. It might make it easier if you try and focus on one thing at a time, ask questions pertaining to that specific thing, and then when you've got a handle on it, move on to the next aspect. Once you've learned the basics of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and how they relate to exposure, DOF, motion, etc... then you can open up the exciting new world of flash BTW, what is your area of interest (i.e. Portraiture, Macro, Landscapes, etc..)? It helps to know those kinds of things too.

 

[IByte]

To be honest OP, you brought on all of these smart a$$ comments to yourself when you posted up a new thread "Help me use my D800". I guaranteed you probably struck a universal pet peeve with many noobs, hobbyists, and professional who took the painstaking job of reading their manual, or at least search the internet for help. Your first post gave me the impression to me, that you are nothing more than a rich college kid with an expensive camera; that wanted help from people like Graystar to hold your hand. Let me give you an example of where I'm coming.

A person brings in a desktop and tells they want to upgrade so they can play better PC games. Instead of buying a better graphics card(lenses in your case w/D90), they opt for a newer machine. So they drop $13-$1400 on a pre-built system, then asking me how do I turn on the machine or where is the power button? Are you seeing the similarities? They have a kick a$$ machine but asking me where the power button is located.

Whether you are in cyberspace or in the real world, people remember you by your first impression. If you would have opened the thread as you did above, you would have received a lot warmer welcome. People understand time is valuable, and have other responsibilities, but how much time do you have to learn a camera of that caliber? So I stand by my comments(I know you were not attacking me directly) that it's very lazy not to read the manual before you start playing the buttons or search for sources on the net.

 

[SilliG]

The thing is, he HAD a perfectly good D90 to be learning the basics with and it would have been great to grow into. Admittedly, he only used it on AUTO all the time. I assume that he thought by purchasing a D800, it would take better AUTO photos, hence why I found my previous observation so funny

BTW, I find it interesting when people are willing to invest so much money into something they claim to be so interested in and have a passion for but yet don't care to invest any time intor learning a thing about what it is or how it works... seems a bit contradicting to me.

I did admit of using AUTO on my D90 I ALSO said I shot on Aperture priority mode as well. I just started getting into cameras around this past Christmas but just recently was able to focus more time to it. Since this past winter I was still in school. I was slowly getting away from shooting on AUTO and I was learning a lot more about photography but I never got on a forum and sought advice. Not only did I have to learn about photography by myself but also post processing as well which is where I made up a watermark. I do not have any friends who are really into photography like that. Did I do some of my own research and see the advantages of a fx camera yes. This is something that I wanted and saved up and bought. Did I buy a D800 and expect it to have an AUTO mode ... yes. Was my intent going in to always use it ... NO. I just spent a lot of money then I realized I didnt exactly know how to work it. So I came on this website seeking advice to hopefully shorten the learning curve so I can get to shooting and learning more abt photography. The willingness to learn is there also with the help of people like Graystar it has made this transition of learning this camera and becoming familiar with photography easier. I will continue to ask questions and post my results so if anyone may have gone down a similar path as me it will help them learn quicker. The forum is about building a strong community of enthusiasts no matter how well they knew it coming into it. I came here seeking advice not to be bombarded with immature bashing about your opinions of me spending $ on a camera. If your not here to help then don't comment. Im sure there are plenty of other threads on here that might strike your interest more.

Fair enough Sillig, I wasn't trying to bash you particularly, I was mainly making an observation. I'm also sorry to have rubbed you the wrong way, especially since it seems you do have a genuine interest, but I've seen MANY people come to the boards and just expect that a newer camera will automatically mean better pictures and then they won't put in any effort to learn how to use their camera. If you'd like help, try asking about more specific aspects rather than very broad topics. In your first post, you simply ask us to tell you how to use your camera. People at TPF are more inclined to help when it is evident that you've made an effort yourself.

As for me, I would be more than happy to help you learn things in anyway that I can. It might make it easier if you try and focus on one thing at a time, ask questions pertaining to that specific thing, and then when you've got a handle on it, move on to the next aspect. Once you've learned the basics of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and how they relate to exposure, DOF, motion, etc... then you can open up the exciting new world of flash BTW, what is your area of interest (i.e. Portraiture, Macro, Landscapes, etc..)? It helps to know those kinds of things too.

No hard feelings man and I appreciate the advice on asking more specific questions to help me get around on the forums here better. Currently I am working on Aperture and tweaking the settings to just get a generally clear picture. Also, working on my depth of field to make photos a bit more interesting. In addition to that I have a color polarizer I will be working with probably tonight to see what types of results I get after reading a very informational pdf explaining polorizers I would like to run some tests. Its shaping up to be mostly indoor photos tho because its raining here. The main reason I got into photography is because of my passion for cars I really enjoy going to events and seeing all the incredible machines but I feel there has always been a lack of good coverage. Its more photographers at nightclubs then there at automotive events. Since I am a big car guy so that will be my main area of interest and mostly what I will be using the camera for. I am not sure but maybe that is classified as landscape since its mostly outdoors but I do plan on getting some action shots soon so that means things will be moving which adds another element in shutter speed and lenses I am unfamiliar with. Other than cars I do plan to use the camera for like holidays, and small personal events too but this will be less than 5% of the use.