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Anonymous
Hey /p/. I just picked up a Nikon D40 today. It's my first SLR.

Any tips on getting the most out of it?
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>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
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Let's do the tiiiiiime waaaaaaarp agaaaaaain!
>> Anonymous
>>69451
Very helpful.
>> Anonymous
just take a ton of pics whenever you can and get used to it, all of its features, etc. practice makes perfect blah blah
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
I was poking fun at the fact that this is practically a repost repost several times over from this week alone. Digging back further than the front page would've found that, I'm certain.

What do you want, chestnuts of wisdom? A recipe for success? There aren't any, it has to come from within, and then only with great practice and discipline.

Honestly, take a class at a local community college, or see if a professional camera store offers classes on the basics of exposure, digital photography, workflow, etc. They'll likely be inexpensive, since they want to sell you things. But the community college route is a better one. The class won't cost more than $100 if it's a continuing education class. Probably a night class, too.
>> Anonymous
>>69458
Point taken. I'm taking a photography class when I'm going back to school (Post-grad, 18, no underage B&), so it might work out :)

But yeah. This is more for photojournalism, not art. I just need to make sure the stuff is clear.
>> Anonymous
>>69450

Yes, read the fucking manual.
>> Anonymous
>>69465
Doing that as we speak.
>> Anonymous
Resist the urge to put the camera into automatic. Also, search iTunes for some photography pod-casts. I personally like the pod-cast "tips from the top floor"
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
>>69463
Awesome, glad to hear it. You're gonna learn a fuckton. If you want a leg up on the rest of the class, put the camera in M and keep it there. Learn the relationship between aperture and shutter speed, and how adjusting either of the two changes your exposure. It's gonna be a fun ride. :) Be patient, though.
>> Anonymous
Also set it to vivid +. Makes the images sharper. Auto ISO and you don't have to shoot in RAW. Also bring up the viewfinder lines so you can work in 1/3rds and compose your pictures propperly.
>> eku !8cibvLQ11s
>>69497

M is for pussies who think that's the only way to get laid with camera.
Av and Tv is much better. Only need to control one variable (plus ISO).
I personally use Av all the time, and don't see how M would make photographing any easier (except when the subject is in the same light all the time, background changing constantly).


And learning some art photography (whatever that thing called "art" is) wouldn't hurt. In fact, I would recommend it. You never know too much about photography.
>> Anonymous
>>69520
M is necessary for taking shots where the exposure meter won't work (fireworks, for example), where you need to over/underexpose a lot, and for HDR. For most other uses, yes, Av/Tv/P are better - in M mode you'll just be doing the same things manually and wasting time.
>> phesarnion
>>69450
If you're new to photography, find out about the rule of thirds, it will help you with your compositions to start off with, but don't stick to it religiously.

With regards to the camera, do not shoot autoISO, instead, stick the camera on Aperture Priority mode. You can then control the DOF while the camera works out the exposure for you. While starting out, use the matrix metering mode (evaluative metering on canons)

Like others said, take a class somewhere, or go on a course, but at the same time, don't be afraid to experiment on your own.

Final tip: carry the camera with you wherever you go (it's so small), and be looking for photos while you are out.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>69520
In b4 standard M vs Av/Tv flamewar
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
>>69532
I shoot with M only for the times when the auto fails, like club photography. Otherwise i stick to Apature mode cause my lenses suck.

Unless you have two control wheels shooting in M on a day to day basis is a waste of time and oppertunity.
>> Anonymous
>>69547
Even with two control wheels for most situations I'd prefer them to control aperture and ISO (with automatic shutter speed).
>> K10D OH GOD DON'T MAKE ME BUY YOU des
>>69550
Pentax'll let you do this, those saucy bastards
>> Anonymous
>>69551
Yeah. Speaking of user-friendliness of controls, Pentax > Olympus > Nikon > Canon > * > Panasonic
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
>>69556
Oh fuck that, Olympus is a nightmare. I had to use that E-500 the other day... good god. :(
>> Anonymous
>>69563
What's the problem? The screen with all settings at once and 2-dimensional navigation is nifty IMO.
And btw it always seems like a nightmare at first if you're used to one system and then try another. I used to think Nikons were a nightmare, but then I understood the logic behind the interface and everything went into place.
>> phesarnion
>>69556
Frankly I love the controls on my D80 one dial controls aperture, the other controls shutter, to sdjust iso, you press one button on the back and rotate the wheel, same with AF modes, shutter modes, flash modes and bracketing modes.
AF points are controlled directly by the D pad, which you can easily reach without changing your grip, unlike cameras such as the 400D.

If you know the camera, you can change a lot of things while still looking through the viewfinder, and anything in the menus, is something you're less likely to use, and is still very easy to find, e.g. exposure delay mode, or the length of the self timer.

IMHO the ergonomics of the camera are far superior to any other camera in the price bracket, and are still better than many more expensive cameras.
>> Anonymous
>>69450
im getting my first SLR on tuesday...its also a Nikon D40. yay im not alone in this world!
>> Anonymous
I shoot in manual and center-weighted average most of the time. (In before accusations of retro pretension.)

The reason's simple: I know exactly what the camera is doing. In evaluative/matrix/whatever metering modes, I have no clue what weight the camera is giving different parts of the scene being metered, or what it's deciding should be exposed correctly and so on. CWA, it's right in the name what the thing's doing.

The same goes for using manual. You notice something, say, under a canopy, and you point the camera at it. Let's say a normal, "proper" exposure would bring your shutter speed down to a tenth of a second, too slow for what you're trying to capture. But that's what Av will stick it as. In manual, I know to flick the dial backwards, and get an underexposed image without motion blur I can correct afterwards in Photoshop. If the equipment's something one is familiar with, adjusting the shutter speed should be an instant, instinctive process, not much slower than the camera picking it.

I'm not dogmatic about any of this, though. Av and Tv I'll use without reservation when I need to, but I definitely prefer the hands-on approach to these things.
>> Anonymous
>>69634
smartfag is smart.