MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
So I am after a DSLR but they always have loads of features so to make a considered choice, what features do you actually use and which are just gimmicks to make you buy a more expensive model, thanks for your help
I have a 20D. I can tell you the features I DONT use. A-DEP. And the DoF preview.
I have a nikon D80. Wireless flash is the single bestest feature of the camera.
I also use all the spot and matrix focusing modes, in fact most settings appart from bracketing.
Actually, I don't use DOF preview either.
mine has a button you press and it goes click-click-click-click. There are a lot of other dials and buttons but they can be safely ignored 🙂
LOL, I am with Simon on this.
Pretty much everything, except in camera editing, gets used.
A lot of the options though are for custom stuff you won't normally change, or will only change once to suit you- the size of the area used for spot metering, for example, the size of the ev steps used in bracketing, info and grids through the viewfinder, that sort of thing.
thanks, SFB and vinnyeh what cameras do you have thanks
Whats the point in having an SLR and using it in automatic mode - you might as well have a compact - surely an SLR should be in manual mode as standard.
AV mode - I'd use nothing else except my 20d decide to break in New York and now AV mode doesn't work at all - you can only select shutter speeds! Manual mode doesn't work at all - it is like the mode dial is fubard. Hey ho - an excuse for a new 7d......
[I]Whats the point in having an SLR and using it in automatic mode [/I]
Same as having a 6" travel full sus and mincing round trail centres on it.
I bought a DSLR as I planned to learn how to use it but having a baby took up my free time. But I have it now for when I do have time.
surely an SLR should be in manual mode as standard.
I only use my D300 for taking photos, not obsessing about settings. No compact can approach the handling and operational ability of a proper SLR, and the suggestion that they can seems to betray ignorance. Manual mode might be fun if you have plenty of time and nothing better to do. I don't.
Whats the point in having an SLR and using it in automatic mode - you might as well have a compact - surely an SLR should be in manual mode as standard.
Why not? A dslr has a lot bigger sensor, normally will have higher quality lenses, so will inherently capture a higher quality image, all other things being equal. It takes more pictures, faster, and for longer, than a compact. It will give you greater scope as you learn. Automatic, and most scene modes, are pretty sophisticated and do the job well in most normal circumstances.
Mostly use mine in aperture-priority to control depth of field.
Occasionally use shutter priority for fast-moving subjects in good light.
Sometimes use manual for night shots.
Never use Auto or Program or Scene modes - I prefer to tinker with settings myself.
Frequently use exposure compensation (generally set to -1/3 as a hangover from slide film days to boost saturation)
Making more use of RAW and post-processing but I'm still learning
Haven't bought myself a proper flash yet - that'll be next
Manual white balance
Manual ISO
Occasionally bracket for exposure
Frequently change the metering mode from matrix to spot
Focusing settings get a workout too as well as switching to MF for macro shots
In summary - pretty much everything. It makes me think about what I want the picture to look like on screen/in print.
bangaio - want to forward the dead 20D to me? I'll pay postage... 😀
mine has a button you press and it goes click-click-click-click. There are a lot of other dials and buttons but they can be safely ignored
If all you're doing is happy snaps, yup. Mine stays in "green square" most of the time in family gatherings and such, in case those with no knowledge of the buttons want a go. The rest of the time it's stuck in full manual, especially with my manual focus lenses.
I'm with stuartie_c. Aperture Priority mainly, I like a shallow depth of filed and use(d) my dslr in the same way i did with my old F4 and the minolta and practika I had before that too. Now i'm on the look out for a decent priced D70 so I get back to using a big camera again, I can't afford to re-buy the D200 I sold when made redundant last year.
I use all the modes, depending on the situation (apart from 'green' or 'P' for 'Professional' mode).
The feature I access most often is probably the flash menu - handy when you're controlling two or three flashes from an onboard one.
I agree that the wireless flash (CLS) is the best thing about Nikons - pity it's so unreliable.... And yes, I use Nikons!
SFB, i can't understand why you would buy a D300 & then only use it in auto mode....I can see your reasoning to get a DSLR & leave it in auto, but why not just get a D60/D3000 etc...? D300 only in auto seems like a waste.
I use most features of my camera (Nikon D80) although it doesn't have Live View so I don't know if I'd use that or not....
I don't use exposure/flash bracketing much, if ever & DOF preview doesn't do much for me.
I also haven't used the wireless flash stuff yet, but plan on buying a flash next month so will be using it soon!
One of the best things that Nikon offer (that Canon didn't when i was considering between the two) was that most of their bodies (in recent yrs) have a built in IR receiver for their remote shutter release. And it only costs £15 for the remote. Bargain....I use that lots.
SLR stays at home because I cant be arsed to carry on a ride.
Use the IXUS 970is for everything including all my published work 🙂
D300 only in auto seems like a waste.
I had a D60 as well, but it was a slug in comparison. And to be honest I do fiddle with the other controls a bit, though I'm not sure it always improves the situation, and I use P not A, I'd hate it to turn the flash on by mistake!
The D3000 has poorer autofocus, half the frame rate, mirror prism, 1/2 the screen resolution, non-100% viewfinder coverage, different sensor (at first look). I wouldn't be happy with it.
Quite a few especially the customised settings, but my best find has been the "AF lock" so I can back button focus
So much better than having the AF on the shutter button, lock on and then recompose to your hearts content
I have a Canon 400D and very rarely use any of the atomatic modes, I just can't see the point, that's why I bought it in the first place: So I could experimnet and faff and learn. Leaving it in auto would produce the same picture every time. I like blur, so I faff with shutter speeds. I like to pre-focus, so the AF goes off sometimes too, I like a shallow DoF sometimes so I faff with the apeture. I like the way I can change th settings so quickly now. That's the other advantage, the speed a DSLR can respond.... 🙂
I'm enjoying using bracketing just now and post-processing the images using Photomatix to give some pretty cool High Dynamic Range shots. Quite often use camera just on P mode but just as often using all the other dials and buttons as well...
SFB, is the D300 miles ahead of the D200 you used to have?
Leaving it in auto would produce the same picture every time
it depends what you point it at...
Use all of them apart from programme exposure and in camera processing of JPEGS (always shoot in RAW).
SFB, is the D300 miles ahead of the D200 you used to have?
it's better, but not hugely. I was happy with my purchase, but there are no "must have" improvements I could point to.
simonfbarnes - MemberSFB, is the D300 miles ahead of the D200 you used to have?
it's better, but not hugely. I was happy with my purchase, but there are no "must have" improvements I could point to.
Have to disagree here - yes, it depends on how you're using the cameras, but when I made the same leap, I was astonished. Most especially in low light / high ISO situations, where the difference is huuuge.
A lot of my work is in dark wedding venues - the D300 simply blows the D200 out of the water in low light photography. The noise is almost non-existent (comparitively, and Noise Ninja deals very well with it in PP anyway - less so with the 200).
it depends what you point it at...
I meant the same 'feel' or possibly style. Auto settings want to freeze motion and standardise exposure.
Try doing this on auto! 🙂
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I never use A-DEP, Picture modes / auto modes, and 99% of the time it's in AV mode.
I do use DOF button pretty frequently - very useful indeed!
Canon 30D, but shortly to be a 7D.... unless the rumoured 60D is any good...
What do you use DOF preview for? Or rather, how do you use it exactly (I may be missing a trick!!) Always found it did nothing more than darken the image - the viewfinder is small enough that I can't see any difference in DoF in there.
my DOF with flash gives me a guide to where it will go, especially useful in remote flash. Not as useful as taking the picture itself. I do use the white balance occasionally use programme App. but not shutter priority modes. Single and constant auto focus modes. Don't usually use anything other than Matrix metering. Most of the buttons get used daily though.
Coffeeking - DOF preview sets the aperture (I think) to the value set in the camera for that particular exposure (that's what the clunk is as you press the button), so should allow you to see the DOF...
....however, as you say - it will generally darken the image, making it hard to make out the DOF & the viewfinder is so small anyway that it doesn't really help - well, I have never found it of any use...
Perhaps in bright studio light it's useful?
sfb so you have/had a D60/D200 & now a D300!! Yikes, that's a heap of cash on bodies!! Fair play, but no way I could justify that for a camera kept mainly on P....I still feel that the D80 was an extravagance!
Leaving it in auto would produce the same picture every time
Often quite the opposite, by the time you've let auto focus, white balance and exposure make their mind up you can end up with something pretty different. If you want really consistent pictures it's manual all the way.
Camera mode snobbery is bizarre. In Program or Shutter/Aperture Priority the fancy jiggery-pokery in your camera is designed to give you combinations of shutter speed&aperture that work well in the current light... this is a good thing... lets you concentrate on composition which surely is more important?
sfb so you have/had a D60/D200 & now a D300!! Yikes, that's a heap of cash on bodies!! Fair play, but no way I could justify that for a camera kept mainly on P....I still feel that the D80 was an extravagance!
it's OK, I have far more money than sense :o) To date I've had FIVE Nikon DSLR bodies!
If you want really consistent pictures it's manual all the way.
heaven forfend! - I want contrast and surprise 🙂
DOF let's you preview the Depth of Field (which bits are 'fuzzy'). Useful when taking photos of bikes as you can work out how wide an aperature you can go (to get a faster shutter speed) and still get the entire rider in focus.
Does darken your view finder, but it's not too bad most of the time. Very useful, but took me a while to work out why I should use it!
I keep mine in P mode most of the time. If I don't like what the camera suggests I override it by twiddling the rear wheel to get what I want. If I genuinely want to over/under expose then I can still do this in P mode by using the +/- control.
I'll use Aperture or Shutter priority if I have to but most of the time the combination of P mode and the nudge wheel work just fine.
antennae - Member
Camera mode snobbery is bizarre. In Program or Shutter/Aperture Priority the fancy jiggery-pokery in your camera is designed to give you combinations of shutter speed&aperture that work well in the current light... this is a good thing... lets you concentrate on composition which surely is more important?
No - your statement is bizarre. Program mode is totally different from Apperture Priority or Shutter speed priority.
If I want a large apperture to isolate the subject from the background, I'll use apperture priority and set a large apperture.
If I want to photograph a rider flying down a mountain, I'll likely choose shutter priority and set it to a suitable speed.
If I want to walk around a war zone dodging bullets, I suppose I might think about program mode, but I doubt it...
Absolutely nothing to do with "snobbery" and everything to do with choosing the right mode for the right situation.
If I want a large apperture to isolate the subject from the background
yeah, people always go on about this, but it's very unrealistic. Everything your eye sees is in focus, unless you need glasses 🙂
Hmmmm - not quite true - your eyes have a pretty small DOF. Look at the closest object on your coffe table from a distance of three inches - everything three inches or so away from that object is out of focus.
All that happens is that your eyes move around constantly, giving the (false) impression of f64 (unscientific guess, based upon the tiniest apperture of my large format camera lens).
Also, it's all about aesthetics, not reality!!
EDIT: coffee table test performed whilst wearing glasses and under the influence of beer goggles.
You have very odd eyes if everything in your vision is always in focus simon. On Earth us pathetic [URL= http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number ]humans have eyes that go from around f/8.3 to about f/2.1.[/URL]
Mind you, if you want everything in focus on your camera then you'll need to set a tight aperture and calculate the hyperfocal distance - which is tricky on Green Auto mode. :p
Everything your eye sees is in focus, unless you need glasses
Simply not true at all, I'm focusing on my laptop screen here and my feet being behind are very OOF. The reason you think that is because you can't actually concentrate on areas that are not in focus with your eyes, they auto-focus wherever you look and you can't see in sufficient resolution outside about 2 degrees to notice if it's in focus or not, but it won't be. Obviously it's better at distance.
Thing is, not everyone is trying to use the camera to recreate exactly what they see anyway.
The reason you think that is because you can't actually concentrate on areas that are not in focus with your eyes
yes I know, but nevertheless, what you [b]perceive[/b] is everything sharp 🙂 And I think the foeva is 1/2 a degree...
giving the (false) impression of f64
I disagree, the visual system arrives at a dynamic gestalt of remarkable fidelity given that it's achieved with 2 blobs of jelly!
I suppose one might say that the shallow DOF thing simulates the mental focussing of attention on some particular subject, though in that circumstance, you don't see the other stuff blurred, you just don't notice it at all unless it moves or becomes a threat...
I stick mine on A and use the front wheel to adjust the aperture.
I might alter the ISO occasionally
The only other thing I use often is the button that makes it take a photo.
IMO, once the thing is set up to take the type of photos you like ie regarding saturation, colour etc leave that stuff well alone.
[b]"M"[/b]
Everything else is redundant.*
Once the camera was set up through the menu, I haven't touched a thing since then (pretty much). Plus ISO throughout the day at a wedding.
There is one simple reason for this. WORK FLOW.
When shooting lots of images in RAW especially, you want as little variation in exposure when you come to the post production for speed and convenience. If you use A or P or S you'll find the camera's metering will adjust things everso slightly unless it's dark, meaning you have a shed load of exposures even thought the scene might well not have changed = shed loads more adjustments to do = shed loads of extra time needed in PS which is not smart.
* There are times when I use mirror lock-up with the self timer, and Live-View, & there are some things that would prove useful in specialist situations.
Read the maual from time to time to keep yourself fresh and play about with these facilities that will give you a greater undestanding of what's possible, but the main setting is still "M".
Referring back to the DOF preview, if you use it in live view the screen doesn't darken as the viewfinder would
In Program or Shutter/Aperture Priority the fancy jiggery-pokery in your camera is designed to give you combinations of shutter speed&aperture that work well in the current light... this is a good thing... lets you concentrate on composition which surely is more important?
Well, I see your point, and, err, yes and no basically! Compostition can be cropped in.... 🙂
Leave it in auto and try and take an action shot (say), and the camera will do it's best to freeze everything solid.
This pic of mine was taken in auto:
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It's a nice pic. Well exposed, nice colour, sharp. But there's no motion in it, and she is obviously going at a reasonable speed downhill. Which is fine if that's what you want.
Bang it in manual (Even shutter speed priority if you like) slow the shutter speed right down, (1/40th-ish) and get this:
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The bloke is on the flat, maybe even going slightly uphill, yet it looks faster than the pic above. Even his legs look like they're moving!
If you want to take pics simply to record events that happen as accurately as possible, and if you like a clean, sharp image every time, it's very easy to achieve in auto mode. No problem there. But if you wanna be creative, experiment, learn, you've gotta switch it to 'M' IMO 🙂
Good argument PP. I agree a camera has two purposes.
1. to record an event
2. to portray what the event was about.
Simon you seem to capture snapshots in time
Peters photos offer much more feeling about what was going on at that time.
It's a nice pic. Well exposed, nice colour, sharp. But there's no motion in it, and she is obviously going at a reasonable speed downhill. Which is fine if that's what you want.
you could argue that you have cropped the top of her head off which looks odd and it's not obvious she's traveling at speed.
if anything it looks like she's mincing not attacking the trail, her body position doesn't look confident.
yes I know, but nevertheless, what you perceive is everything sharp And I think the foeva is 1/2 a degree...
Fovea is not a fixed "size" but a gradually decaying density, many visual tests use 2 degrees as the baseline.
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I suppose one might say that the shallow DOF thing simulates the mental focussing of attention on some particular subject, though in that circumstance, you don't see the other stuff blurred, you just don't notice it at all unless it moves or becomes a threat...
Which is the purpose of the blurring in the image, when translated to a flat photo the human eye/mind gets distracted by a very sharp background. This doesn't happen in reality because where you're focusing is a) in much better focus and b) outside the eyes primary high res viewing point. Since you can't replicate that by making the photo dynamically in focus, it's approximated by turning the background "noise" into mush, bringing the item of interest into apparently much greater detail and sharpness wrt the surroundings.
IMO, once the thing is set up to take the type of photos you like ie regarding saturation, colour etc leave that stuff well alone.
Sure, things like your sharpness and saturation settings are generally personal (but only affect jpeg) but the rest of the settings change with each scene far too wildly to just leave as-is IMO.
Someone above says use M for maintaining the same exposure levels, not sure you can really do that unless you work in a studio - you can spin 180 degrees in any room and get 1-2 stops different exposure depending on window placement etc, let alone subject.
Bang it in manual
on mine you can just spin a thumb dial to select a slower shutter speed
So what you get with a DSLR is flexibility to use it however you wish to.
Manual/Program/Priority/Mode ............ as mush or as little as you want.
These cameras are generally designed for flexibility, compacts are not.
Program can be used as a hybrid Aperture/Shutter priority mode = shift
This flexibility is intended to let you work/play.
The images you capture are still what counts , spend time thinking about them instead.
So what you get with a DSLR is flexibility to use it however you wish to.
Manual/Program/Priority/Mode ............ as mush or as little as you want.
These cameras are generally designed for flexibility, compacts are not.
My compact has all the same settings my DSLR has, just poorer image quality and an inability to get the same depth of field due to the sensor/lens arrangement.
Yes , some compacts have extra flexibility , some even manage to make it reasonably accessible .
Depth of field is an important point , and actually a real shock when you move from film SLR to DSLR with smaller sensors - not full frame.
After using a DSLR for a while it was a revelation to get the old F90x out
and take some portraits , being able to blow the background out of focus
made it much more fun.
I wish the full frame models were cheaper...
I spent years messing about with all the different tools for taking photographs, I have 3 large format cameras in the loft , and a 5x4 enlarger in the lockup waiting for when I have the time to use them again.
Still cannot get any decent images though.......
My compact has all the same settings my DSLR has
but less accessibly and less responsively
you could argue that you have cropped the top of her head off which looks odd and it's not obvious she's traveling at speed.
if anything it looks like she's mincing not attacking the trail, her body position doesn't look confident.
Woo Hoo!! EXACTLY my point Mr Smith! Thankyou! 🙂 (Apart from the missing top of head... Which was my fault entirely. Oops 😳 )
but less accessibly and less responsively
100% with you on that Simon. That's THE reason I HAD to get an SLR. Just faster in every way possible. If I only took scenery shot, I'd probably stick with a compact, but they are too slow and too limiting for anything that moves. 🙂
on mine you can just spin a thumb dial to select a slower shutter speed
Yeah, same on mine. But it has to be in one of the manual modes first. Yours is a better camera, and a different make remember. 🙂
but less accessibly and less responsively
To some extent I suppose, I still have the same M,Av,Tv etc modes that behave exactly the same on the same type of thumbwheel.
Aperture settings are changed with thumb buttons (same effort as thumb wheel).
Iso is no more of a faff than iso on my DSLR, it's still a button then a button, just as on the dslr it's a button then a roll.
I can get RAW. I can get bracketing. I can get F2.8 to F64 and I can get 30 sec to 1/64000th shutter speeds.
Thinking over it, I'm not sure it's any less accessible to be honest, just different. And the high-ISO noise is horrifically bad, even ISO 3200 on the DSLR isn't as bad as 400 on the compact.
You can get f64 on a compact?!!
You can get f64 on a compact?!!
let's hope not, the diffraction would be dreadful! f/6.4 more like 🙂
Read the maual from time to time to keep yourself fresh
For me this is the problem...... I want to take nice photos, I have a modest SLR cos the image quality is good, and the shutter lag is minimal, but the pages and pages of bloody instructions. Every time I get the camera out I've forgotten how most of the buttons are supposed to work. It's also far to big and heavy to lug around on the off chance of seeing something worth photographing.
These days I just use the camera on my phone..... maybe it's the singlespeed of the photography world? I can take the photo, crop, adjust and upload to the web in minutes.
I'm just looking at the 1899 images I took on Sunday.
Thank goodness I only ever use "M" or the variation in exposure would be an almost insummountable hill to climb in PP.
* I use spot metering on lenses over 75mm & front curtain flash sync on the flash units. I changed ISO maybe 30 times throughout the day on the two D700 bodies & use multiple flash units (3) to lift certain situations.
It's also far to big and heavy to lug around on the off chance of seeing something worth photographing.
tart 🙂 I do exactly that with 1.5kg of camera and lens 🙂
Crocodile Dundee moment:
you: "Look my phone has a camera!"
me: "No, [b]THIS[/b] is a camera :o)"
You can get f64 on a compact?!!
Yes, firmware hack. I'm not sure as to whether it ACTUALLY attains F64 on all models, but it's available and does seem to alter the light metering. Doesn't seem to produce big diffraction problems, but that'll be because the sensor has a higher pixel density but smaller overall size than general DSLRs. F64 with a DSLR sized sensor pixel would look nice and furry 🙂 I never stray that way anyway, never needed it.
I do exactly that with 1.5kg of camera and lens
Each to their own. I'd rather not.
Doesn't seem to produce big diffraction problems, but that'll be because the sensor has a higher pixel density but smaller overall size than general DSLRs.
[url= http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/diffraction-photography.htm ]this says different[/url]
Manual 100% of the time, which can be a bit of a bugger on a partially cloudy day!
ISO also gets played with according to light, I try to keep around 1/1000th sec for most biking shots even with the flash.
ISO also gets played with according to light, I try to keep around 1/1000th sec for most biking shots even with the flash
1/10000th of a sec with flash? Surely that's waaaaaaaay above the synch speed of the flash/camera?
Max synch speed on mine is 1/200th.......
EDIT
[url= http://the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-1D-Mark-III-Digital-SLR-Camera-Review.aspx ]THIS SUGGESTS[/url] that even an Eos 1D Mk3 has a maximum synch speed of 1/300th.......
Every time I get the camera out I've forgotten how most of the buttons are supposed to work. It's also far to big and heavy to lug around on the off chance of seeing something worth photographing.
[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/panasonic-gf1-thoughts ]Get a GF1 ;)[/url]
I use my camera in manual most of the time - sometimes A or S or occasionally Auto if it seems to be getting roughly what I want and I can't be arsed messing around.
I try to keep around 1/1000th sec for most biking shots
wow, that would have required 62,500 ASA for this!
[url= http://www.bogtrotters.org/rides/2010/3feb/thumb/DSC_0779_.gi f" target="_blank">http://www.bogtrotters.org/rides/2010/3feb/thumb/DSC_0779_.gi f"/> [/img][/url]
Just joined tha dslr movement at teh weekend.
How do you guys protect your screens?
How do you guys protect your screens?
I soon broke the screen cover that came with it, but Thom Hogan said he'd tried scratching his with a knife to no effect, however, I have managed to make a small scratch somehow...
1/10000th of a sec with flash? Surely that's waaaaaaaay above the synch speed of the flash/camera?
I'd have to agree with you there, but at 1/1000th the 580EX II will sync no problems.
simonfbarnes - MemberI try to keep around 1/1000th sec for most biking shots
wow, that would have required 62,500 ASA for this!
Which bit of "most" didn't you read, 😉
You can do better than that!
Even during the day I'll shoot low speed with flash
[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2520/4107550613_a5c1559703.jp g" target="_blank">
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Peter, click the pick for details, shot at 1/1250 with flash. 😉
[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2662/4163536764_35de7f94bd.jp g" target="_blank">
I'd have to agree with you there, but at 1/1000th the 580EX II will sync no problems.
how does that work? With a focal plane shutter, the only way to illuminate the whole frame above the sync speed is for the flash to last longer than the entire scanning exposure
Get a GF1
If only I could afford one...... I'd have bought one in a flash.
how does that work?
Dunno!
the D300 will push to 1/320 sync with flash but only by extending the flash fire, one thing i miss about the D70 was the fast flash sync (no shutter)
anyway i use pretty much everything including manual lens presets for older lenses and colour balance tweaking
i don't use AF adjustment, that's the only thing i can think of off the top of my head.
Quite often shoot in 'auto' mode (the D300 doesn't really have that, just program mode)
Just joined tha dslr movement at teh weekend.
How do you guys protect your screens?
Google "GGS Screen Protector" excellent bit of kit and much better than the stick on film
Can be bought cheaper on the bay, but definitely worth buying
Multiple flashes fired very quickly like a strobe i believe.