Hello all,
I have owned the Canon 1000D for around two years now, and have started using Manual now as I get the hang of the settings and what each one does now.
I was just wondering if anyone had the camera and could give me a hand on the what the settings should be on:
Metering Mode: Evaluative Metering, Partial Metering or Center-Weighted Average ?AF Mode: One Shot, AI Focus AF or AI Servo AF ?AF Point Selection: Auto Select or Manual Selection ?
Also if it is a cloudy sky, should I put the white balance on cloudy or leave it on Auto?
Lastly, when capturing birds, what should be the priority
ISO, Shutter Speed or Aperture?
Any other tips you can give would be brilliant !
All help is greatly appriciated !
Thanks
Lauren
I have only been using RAW for a few weeks (I've been putting it off as well) and it has made a world of difference to my ability to tweak images. I thought it would be difficult but the Nikon software provided with my camera (D5000) is pretty straightforward. I don't process all the RAW images that I take. I go through the JPEG images (I shoot JPEG and RAW) and choose a few that are worth tweaking. It is easy to change exposure if the image is too dark, sharpness, white balance, contrast, brightness and colour boost. There are lots of other possible settings I could change but I haven't found any good reason to tweak those yet! Here is an example (cropped) of the original JPEG (OK but not great image) and the processed RAW image (much better I think).
My Flickr Photos
Hi Lauren....this link may be of help to you, especially with Bird in flight photographs. I know it`s for the 7D but it may give you a better understanding of settings.
www.deepgreenphotography.com/.../setting-up-your-new-canon-7d
I use AV at f/4 and the lowest ISO i need to get 1/500th shutter speed...at the moment I`m playing with ISO 800 or above to get that speed as the light is so poor. However in sunshine i would expect to use ISO 400 or lower. A1 servo and single spot AF.
I hope this helps.
Best of luck,
Geoff
I'm by no means an expert on this and very much still learning! I have however taken on board some of Andrewa past advice (thanks Andrew!!) I have been shooting as he suggests "f8 and upping the ISO, WB=Auto" I have to say the results have been rather impressive and much sharper pictures! The key to any photography where your subject is moving is to keep a fast shutter speed!
So why not do what I did recently and set the camera on f8, ISO 800, Auto WB and shoot initially in AP mode? Keep an eye on your shutter speed as Andrewa suggests and adjust your ISO / f number accordingly. In my mind this works two ways as it will help you to see how ISO and aperture effects your shutter speed and of course your pictures! It will also give you some ideas of settings for different situations and light conditions, which you can then take into full manual mode? I found this a good starting point which I have since built on now that I have the confidence to 'experiment' a bit more? If something doesn't work you can go back to your starting point and try something different?
The other thing to think about is the tripod you are using. With all these new settings you now want to eliminate camera shake or they will be worthless! Invest in a good quality tripod and from my own experience you need one that has nice strong legs which will create a really stable base. I originally purchased a cheap tripod and it was a complete waste of money as every time I used it and put any sort of weight on it the legs buckled and it also moved all over the place making for shaky pictures! I was on a budget but was recommended 'RED SNAPPER' tripods via the 'TALK PHOTOGRAPHY' forum site and have to say was really impressed with the quality and price! (also if you buy from them via that site you get a discount!!)....
As stated above I'm no expert but I hope this might simplify things a little?...