So I got a brand new Nikon D7200. Actually was a birthday gift from my father. I’m still in shock. He purchased the bundle which has a couple lenses (18-55mm & 70-300), and all sorts of other items like polarization filters etc. I owned a old DSLR and take a lot of wildlife photos. Like a slacker I’d always put it on “auto” mode and fire away. But I really want to learn how to “use” this one on manual settings. Anybody on here a avid photographer? I’ve been watching YouTube vids and played with the camera a bit. But man this thing is like a foreign language to me. I know, aperture, ISO, & shutter speed, but have a lot to learn. Any advice would be great. May just take a class.
Photography
- Thread starter noleone99
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Nice camera. I have a couple books that have helped me learn some. If I had more free time, I'd take a class. Lots of online resources as well, but I find taking a bunch of pictures on different settings and study the final results. Just playing with it and taking practice pics has helped a lot.
Definitely playing with it a lot, and doing my darndest to not throw it over to “auto”
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Before you even learn about the camera, make sure you know and utilize the Rule of Thirds. The lack of understanding about this simple principle is the root behind 99% of all the terrible pictures I see on social media. A beginner should exclusively utilize this and then once understood then start to use “movement” to expand outside of the simple third power points.
https://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds/
@BigDog214 may be able to offer some assistance here.
I'm not a photographer, so I don't see why you'd spend time and effort trying to learn how to guess the same settings that your camera is designed to figure out automatically?Definitely playing with it a lot, and doing my darndest to not throw it over to “auto”
When you get to work, do you manually figure out the right order to launch all of your computer's programs? Or do you let it's operating system do that for you?
The purpose of technology is to make things easier and better, so you don't have to keep doing everything manually.
I have taken thousands of photos all the way back to when I lived in Europe as a high school senior and took slides with a Kodak Instamatic. You can't go wrong with a Nikon and taking classes. The subject matter and what you see through the lens is as important as aperture and shutter speed settings. I shoot with a Canon EOS T6s with a number of lenses I got a few years back. I got a 600mm lens I used in Africa 3 years ago and China 2 years ago. I got some great shots but mostly use my iPhone these days unless I am taking pictures at a sporting event or it's worth carrying the camera and lenses with me. Have fun!!
Apparently, as long as you write #nofilter with any pictures posted on social media, that makes you an expert photographer.
Understand what you’re saying here but there’s soooo much more you can do with the manual settings.
You don’t do it manually so that you mimic what the automatic calculations give you which is a clear shot, you do it to add blurring for movement especially water, to bring out contrast, shadow and light effects, etc....
It’s the difference between getting the shot on the left versus the shot on the right. The automatic is only going to get you the left shot at best.
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Definitely playing with it a lot, and doing my darndest to not throw it over to “auto”
Don't forget, there is truth to NDR's comment. If you want just a picture, auto does a great job. If the picture is simple, then auto works, but it also shows you the settings for a basic image and the you can tinker with the settings after that to change the final if you want to get artsy.
i've never owned anything but Nikons. Not due to disliking the others but I had a Nikon film in the 90s and just stuck with the manufacturer. I like my D5600, it does far more than I am able to do.
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All right - I can see it making a difference if you're going for an effect.You don’t do it manually so that you mimic what the automatic calculations give you which is a clear shot, you do it to add blurring for movement especially water, to bring out contrast, shadow and light effects, etc....
It’s the difference between getting the shot on the left versus the shot on the right. The automatic is only going to get you the left shot at best.
Yep, but for selfies and Snapchat pics of your junk I think you're good sticking with your phone.
However, see the above linked article on thirds if the effect needed is elongation for your snapchat picks. And manscaping. NDR, you could be doing so much better.
Have the day off today, going out in the woods today to “experiment”. I work at Maclay Gardens State Park in Tally. 1,200 acres of potential. Yesterday saw a bobcat (they’re so elusive hard to get a pic of) and a gray rat snake. I’m a big fan of birds too. We have a nesting pair of bald eagles on Lake Overstreet. They’ll be heading North soon.
another reason to learn some of the manual settings is when you get a bigger, faster lens. In my case my entry level d60 Nikon wouldn't switch the Fstop setting to accommodate the new fancy lens I bought for graduations, etc. I had to monkey with the presets to get it down to 2.8.
Something to keep in mind when taking shots of animals, etc. Don't be lazy and take every picture from your standing position. Kneel down and try to get some on their level. Makes a huge difference.
Something to keep in mind when taking shots of animals, etc. Don't be lazy and take every picture from your standing position. Kneel down and try to get some on their level. Makes a huge difference.
This may very well explain the lack of desired responses.
Years ago I went to the "fisheye lens" for the pics of my junk. I figured since most of my target demographic was kinda googly-eyed anyway, this would help put it the right perspective for them. Maybe I ought to try something different.
A class in composition would serve you best, IMO. I've been taking photos since the mid 60's when my parents gave me a darkroom kit so I could develop and print my own photos. I've learned over the years that how you 'frame' the shot matters far more than camera settings (assuming, of course, that the camera will set itself accurately in regards to exposure, etc.). So, spend some time before pressing the shutter button in looking at the shot from different angles, distances, etc. etc. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone looked at one of my photos and said, Wow! Nice photo! You must have a really good camera! :~) And I'm tempted to say (but I don't), yep, it's a good camera.... and I also have 40 years of experience to go along with it.
Bumping this. I should know this but how do I post some of the pics I’ve taken? I know I need to visit photobucket or something but I’m not sure how to do it. Any help?
Yep, just upload it to photobucket or shutterfly (which I use). Then copy the image location and paste it into the picture attachment located in the post.
Either will work. I use the app for iPhone pics and just upload on the website for the real camera pics.
Disagree. In this particular situation, the OP is better of going with a blurry setting as Tribe has suggested.
Still can’t figure it out. Dammit. Tried Shutterfly/Imgur still can’t load a image. Ridiculous. I know it’s easy but dadgum.
