New Camera Nikon D5200, need help!

SilverDog

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Okay so I got my first DSLR camera, a Nikon D5200. So I've been reading up a little on aperture priority and manual settings, but it seems the more I mess with the settings, the more "damage" I'm doing. So far, in the aperture priority, if I take pics in doors, the snap is sooo slow, then pic is horribly blurry. Outdoors, the snap is quicker but the pictures are still not very clear and even a little dark. In manual mode, again I played with the settings a bit, and in the beginning the photos would be just blurry but now they're just black. So dark you can't even make out what I took a picture of. And weirdly enough I hadn't really touched the settings on sports mode but I took some photos of my dogs running and playing and all the pics came out blurry. I Really Need help, I'm Really NOT Good At Self teaching.....
I'm sorry if I sound really stupid I really am new at this. I can transfer some photos later when I get home and show what's going on
 
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You need to read up on "metering"; that is, how to determine what the right settings for the light are. Here are some excellent tutorials on everything you need to get started. Your camera's manual also explains this.
 
1. It does take time, so don't become disheartened.
2. Why not try auto mode?
3. There is one more adjustment; the ISO.
4. What is the meter telling you?
5. Standard practice is to keep the shutter speed (for head-held shots) AT LEAST the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens. So say you're using the 18-55 at 55mm. You will want the shutter speed to be NO MORE THAN 1/60 of a second, and probably lots shorter. I wouldn't try hand-held shots at slower than about 1/120 of a second, and even then you will get motion blur of the subject.
6. Read the manual. All of it. Then read it again.
 
Increasing the ISO will give faster shutter speeds but more noise. In low light conditions, use manual and adjust shutter speed plus aperture..... I am new and it takes time.. practice practice practice. If you use a low ISO and low shutter speed, you will need a tripod for low light.

Photography requires self teaching and self reading......
 
Thank you for your replies! :)
 
Okay so I got my first DSLR camera, a Nikon D5200. So I've been reading up a little on aperture priority and manual settings, but it seems the more I mess with the settings, the more "damage" I'm doing. So far, in the aperture priority, if I take pics in doors, the snap is sooo slow, then pic is horribly blurry. Outdoors, the snap is quicker but the pictures are still not very clear and even a little dark. In manual mode, again I played with the settings a bit, and in the beginning the photos would be just blurry but now they're just black. So dark you can't even make out what I took a picture of. And weirdly enough I hadn't really touched the settings on sports mode but I took some photos of my dogs running and playing and all the pics came out blurry. I Really Need help, I'm Really NOT Good At Self teaching.....
I'm sorry if I sound really stupid I really am new at this. I can transfer some photos later when I get home and show what's going on
When shooting indoors in aperture priority, what did you have the aperture set to? How about the ISO settings? What happened is that you had a small aperture combined with a low ISO. Those two settings require a lot of light to work. To get a lot of light under those conditions, you've gotta have a reaaaaaaly slow shutter speed, hence the slow snaps.
 
Been there. Don't give up! I highly recommend "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson and "From Snapshots to Great Shots Nikon DXXXX" by Rob Sylvan (get the one for the D5200). The Peterson book is a must read, IMO, and the Sylvan is like having a very detailed manual for your specific camera.
 
It can be good to start out in manual mode and see what happens when you set the controls of the camera to other than optimal settings. You do need to learn the basics of exposure and the tutorials that tireiron pointed you to are good ones.
Once you do that you'll understand why photos are blurry and over or under exposed. With the basics of capturing the right amount of light for the scene under your belt you can move on to how to use or break rules to get the photos you want.
It's really an exciting adventure and can last a lifetime. I've been handling cameras since I was very young and still learn something every time I pick up a camera.
Enjoy.
 
I'm new to this as well, and getting the settings right are, well, frustrating at times. I still don't fully know how to implement what I am learning, even if I understand the science behind it. I'm still hit or miss sometimes, but I am getting better. I sometimes just start taking random pictures and looking at the settings to see what it is I should have done.


Dang, didn't see the last posted date...there should be a warning or something after a thread goes dead after a few months.
 
I'm new to this as well, and getting the settings right are, well, frustrating at times. I still don't fully know how to implement what I am learning, even if I understand the science behind it. I'm still hit or miss sometimes, but I am getting better. I sometimes just start taking random pictures and looking at the settings to see what it is I should have done.


Dang, didn't see the last posted date...there should be a warning or something after a thread goes dead after a few months.
Top left of each thread shows the date posted - you just have to get into the habit of looking before you leap.

One good exercise is to put the camera in "P" and focus on a patch of grass or some other neutral object. Work through each shutter speed and note the aperture that the camera responds with. Have a friend write each one down for reference. It can give you a idea on how aperture and shutter speed interact with each other. Watch the meter as you go through it.
 

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