Using your Digital SLR Camera In Simple Steps

Contents for Using your Digital SLR Camera in Simple Steps

 

Top Ten Tips

• Make your camera vanish
  
  
• Taking advantage of your dSLR 
  
  
• Buy the best "glass" you can afford
  
  
• A great value lens: 50mm f/1.8
  
  
• Megapixels and myth
  
  
• The benefit of full-frame sensors
  
  
• Shoot in raw
  
  
• Avoid auto white balance
  
  
• Avoid auto ISO
  
  
• "Photoshop" (editing) is not evil
  
  

1. Finding your way around the camera controls

·         Read the manual - strategically

·         Navigate menus

·         Exposure mode controls

·         Scene mode controls

·         Metering modes

·         What's in your viewfinder?

·         Using autofocus (AF) and focus lock

·         Using autofocus with Live View

·         Single shot and burst modes

·         Self-timer and intervalometer

·         Review images

2. Setting up your camera for shooting

·         Set image naming

·         Format your media card

·         Select image quality - raw versus JPEG

·         Choose a colour space

·         Select ISO sensitivity

·         Select a white balance setting

3. Taking control of exposure

·         The water model of exposure        

·         Start thinking in stops

·         Using the auto-exposure modes

·         Take advantage of the aperture setting

·         Take advantage of shutter speed

·         High-key, mid-key, and low-key

·         Use exposure compensation

·         Bracket exposures

·         Reading the Histogram        

·         Using manual exposure

4. Working with light

·         Types of light: colour temperature and white balance

·         Types of daylight

·         Types of indoor light

·         Work with bright light

·         The direction of light and backlighting

·         Lens flare and halation

·         Soft light and window light

·         Work with dim light

5. Selecting and Using Lenses

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