350 D Advise

[Souwalker]

Hi
My sister just brought from overseas for me the 350D. I've been going through the manual with a fine tooth comb. Any advise of what I must do first ie get anything out of default mode, before I start to learn? I understand that I should change the AF to the centre focus only. What other paremeters should I do first before I start?
I've been using the Powershot A80 for the past 2 years and when I got it, I disabled the several pojt focus (?) AiAf or something. I nevr used auto settings. I always used the 'P' mode.
Any pointers would be highly aprreciated.
I am nervous, intimidated and yet excited....some of the functions from the camera seems so complicated.
I am not exactly new to photography. Has always been interested soley as a hobby with my Pentax SLR for many years..

Many Thanks In advance
Patrick

[tim]

Start with P, it's quite flexible - just turn the little dial to shift the program. Experiment with depth of field, the 50mm F1.8 is good for that. Practice makes perfect! Then you learn lighting... and posing... etc. Good luck!

[lostdoggy]

Since you are no stranger to SLR then you should start in Av Mode. Shoot in RAW. This will allow you to take full advantage of shooting DSLR.

[liza]

Never used P mode myself. Until recently, I shot in Av 99% of the time and learned a lot about DOF by doing so. Now I shoot almost exclusively in M.

[koekeloer]

If you shoot in JPEG, set the user params to increase the sharpness.
I had problems with over-exposed pictures, so I now set exposure to -1/3 step

[RobKirkwood]

Everything you read in the manual will make more sense when you've used the camera for a while.
Don't be afraid to take pictures! :D

This was my learning process with the 350D...
- charged the battery
- put the camera in P mode (as I'd used film SLR before)
- went into Menu and changed the picture quality to RAW+L
- took some pictures
- deleted the pictures because they were rubbish
- took some more pictures, couple of nice ones
- downloaded the nice ones to computer
- found out how much extra I could do after the fact with a RAW file
- sat down and re-read the manual to discover all the things I'd missed first time around!

I've since changed other camera defaults, but they suit my preferences and the way I work - they may not suit you.

[dredd1]

When downloading u'r pictures use a card reader. Saves using the battery on the camera while downloading. I format the card using the camera everytime after a download. If u delete photo's instead of formating then format every so often. When u delete, folders are left on the card and images also, over time the card can slow down and u may end up with less space on the card.
Adobe Album is also a good image manager (allows u to view all images on u'r PC quickly and u can attach labels/tags to images).

[rklepper]

When I first got my XT I was taking a digital photography course. We were told never to use anything but M if we really wanted to get to know our cameras. We were also not allowed to zoom so that we would get to know our subject. Great way to learn. I never use anything except for M. Anything else is just not flexible enough.

[rklepper]

Oh, one other thing we were told right off the bat was to go out and take lots and lots and lots and lots of photos and delete lots and lots and lots of them.

[liza]

Sound advice! Not only does one need to practice, but also become one's own worst critic.

[condyk]

Some excellent advice. It's all about exposure and use of Manual operation is ideal ... learn as you go by taking and thinking through your pictures. Lenses have their characteristics and best settings too, so get to know them. For composition you can't beat being tied to a prime lens. A month with a 50mm using manual everything is time well spent unless you're after instant gratification. Shoot RAW and use a good RAW application like Rawshooter Premium (Essential is free if you want to try it first).

[IainUK]

If you shoot in JPEG, set the user params to increase the sharpness.
I had problems with over-exposed pictures, so I now set exposure to -1/3 step

Koekeloer - can you post the file path for this setting please. I'd like to try it as I too have been suffering from overexposure on my 350D shooting in JPEG.
Cheers

[tzalman]

In Av or Tv, push the EC button and move the index marker in the viewfinder and/or the LCD info window one click to the left.
Elie

[IainUK]

thanks tzalman

[peatoire]

I mostly shoot Av. I agree with most on here:
Reading the whole manual without shooting and getting used to it can be daunting. Once you've got the basics things drop in to place when re reading the manual, then you'll just use it for reference; things like custom function explanation etc.