Help with camera setting?

Eddie666

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Hi all,

I am just getting used to my Nikkon D40X and I now understand shutter speed but not great on Aperture. So I put my camera on "A" setting last night so that it works out the right Aperture for me and I set everything else. But when I tried to do this the shutter speed was incredibly slow? any idea how I speed the shutter speed up on the "A" setting (If this is possible)?

If not, any other suggestions?

Thanks all
 
You cannot understand shutter speed on its own without taking into account aperture and ISO setting. Correct exposure depends on those 3 factors. If you change one of them, you'll have to change at least another one to keep the same exposure. Buy a book about photography basics; they all explain this relationship and how it works in practice. It is not that hard to understand.
 
Hi all,

I am just getting used to my Nikkon D40X and I now understand shutter speed but not great on Aperture. So I put my camera on "A" setting last night so that it works out the right Aperture for me and I set everything else. But when I tried to do this the shutter speed was incredibly slow? any idea how I speed the shutter speed up on the "A" setting (If this is possible)?

If not, any other suggestions?

Thanks all
By "A" I assume you mean the Aperture Priority mode - I shoot Canon, the modes are labeled a bit differently (this would be "Av" on Canon).

Either you had a typo above, or I think you're misunderstanding how Aperture Priority mode works. You set the Aperture, the camera figures everything else out. If you need a faster shutter speed you might want to try the Shutter Priority mode (not sure what it is on Nikon - it's "Tv" on Canon), or use a higher ISO setting.
 
hmmm.. I must be misunderstanding the modes.... I will check again tonight. I'll try "S" as well (Shutter speed priority) and see what difference that makes.

Thanks
 
Eddie, try this. Here is a link to a ton of information. It is the best site I found of all the other similar sites I've looked at as a beginner (merely 4-5 weeks ago, right before Christmas). Be forwarned, there's a lot of reading here. Just a single click on any of the links on this site and you have pages and pages to read. Check it out.....

http://www.shortcourses.com
 
Thanks for the Great Link!! lots of great info on just about everything!
 
When I shoot in Aperture priority mode if I'm in low lighting conditions, The shutter will of course be slow If you need to get a faster shutter speed while in A mode the only thing you can do is Better lighting. I highly recommend you buy a book called understanding exposure to get a better grasp on how to properly expose a picture and what conditions are right for what mode. after reading this book I shoot 90% of my photos in Manual mode , and the only time I use the cameras auto mode is when there is no time to adjust for the shot. Here is a link to learn more about the book http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107484
 
When I shoot in Aperture priority mode if I'm in low lighting conditions, The shutter will of course be slow If you need to get a faster shutter speed while in A mode the only thing you can do is Better lighting. I highly recommend you buy a book called understanding exposure to get a better grasp on how to properly expose a picture and what conditions are right for what mode. after reading this book I shoot 90% of my photos in Manual mode , and the only time I use the cameras auto mode is when there is no time to adjust for the shot. Here is a link to learn more about the book http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107484

I agree with this totally. I just finished up Understanding Exposure, and I have started shooting everything in manual as well. Sooo much more controll over the overall effect.
 
Thanks for the link above.... Gives me something to read in work now :D

And I hear this book being recommended around the whole site so I will be out this weekend buying that book :wink:

The target is for me to start shooting in all manual so hopefully this book will help!

Thanks all!
 
And I hear this book being recommended around the whole site so I will be out this weekend buying that book :wink:
For those that own/have read the book...

It seems to be one of the only books recommended by the members here. Is it really that good? I have similar books (one called "Creative Exposure Control", by Les Meehan), is it really that much better than other "Exposure" books?

...Sometimes it just seems like it's the only book you guys have read. No offense intended, it's just that it's the only book I see people recommending here.

I never see "buy a book about exposure control", it's always "buy Understanding Exposure". (...Do you own stock with the publisher?)

What I'm really asking is... Should I buy it, or will it be nothing new to me since I already have a few books on exposure, and am pretty competent with my camera and the manual settings?
 
For those that own/have read the book...

It seems to be one of the only books recommended by the members here. Is it really that good? I have similar books (one called "Creative Exposure Control", by Les Meehan), is it really that much better than other "Exposure" books?

...Sometimes it just seems like it's the only book you guys have read. No offense intended, it's just that it's the only book I see people recommending here.

I never see "buy a book about exposure control", it's always "buy Understanding Exposure". (...Do you own stock with the publisher?)

What I'm really asking is... Should I buy it, or will it be nothing new to me since I already have a few books on exposure, and am pretty competent with my camera and the manual settings?


I was reading 1 - 2 photography books per month and then gave it up coz they all just turn out to be some photographer showcasing his own work and blowing his own trumpet.

Understanding Exposure is for the fella that's looking at the dial on the SLR and can't figure it out. How does the meter work? What does the Av, Tv and M stand for? What's ISO? It explains with photograph sequences the difference from f2.8 through the sweet spot and out to f32 etc. Ultimately it will take you from knowing nothing to undertanding how to take control of the camera. So for the beginner with an SLR this is the first book you should buy. Seasoned photographers certainly don't need this and if they did pick up a tip from it it still probably isn't worth the $15 to them, but for a beginner it's probably the best $15 they'll invest in themselves.


The only other book that I found made a sincere attempt at being informative is David Prakel's Lighting. What is Light? What's a monobloc? What's white balance? Rembrandt Ligting, butterfly lighting, halo lighting etc. He also gets a bit technical about atmosphere and such things that affect the light. - It's not the end all of books about lighting but another great starter.
 
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