Ack Need help with Canon 300D

[TechKnowBabble]

I just got it, I'm reading the manual, playing arond with settings, but it seems the shutter speed is SLOW incredibly slow. Thoughts? I've tried different settings (M, P, etc, etc) it just seems very slow.

Is there anyway to increase the 'default' shutter speed?

Nikki

[drisley]

???

Not sure what you mean.
Unless you are used to how a point and shoot camera operates in dark situations using a flash?

[TechKnowBabble]

???

Not sure what you mean.
Unless you are used to how a point and shoot camera operates in dark situations using a flash?

Well I have an OLD Olympus digital camera that took forever to take the shot, and I have a Nikon N65 slr, I assumed the Drebel would shoot more like the Nikon. Was I incorrectly assuming?

Nikki

[MediaMagic]

???

Not sure what you mean.
Unless you are used to how a point and shoot camera operates in dark situations using a flash?

Well I have an OLD Olympus digital camera that took forever to take the shot, and I have a Nikon N65 slr, I assumed the Drebel would shoot more like the Nikon. Was I incorrectly assuming?

Nikki

Hi Nikki, It's tough to answer a very vague question. Yes, the dRebel should shoot more like the Nikon than a P&S. When you are in Tv, or Av mode, the metering system exposes for ambient light and then adjusts the flash output accordingly, so, depending on the amount of light available, you may get slow shutter speeds. If you are in P mode, the shutter speed should come up to 1/60 for normal conditions.

Are you asking about actual shutter speeds? or the speed or interval between when you press the shutter and it actually firing? Shutter speed refers to the amount of time the shutter is actually open. Shutter lag is the delay time between squeezing the shutter and when the shutter opens.It seems all dSLR's have some kind of delay, the more expensive, the less the delay is, but, it's still present. Even the article on the SI Superbowl workflow speaks of the 1D users having to get used to the lag time. So, yes, there will be a fraction of a second delay between the full press of the shutter and the time the camera fires. The 10D and dRebel are probably close to the same with respect to shutter lag.

[timmyquest]

1/4000 of a second at 3.5 shots per second

Whats slow about this?

[Jim_T]

Is there anyway to increase the 'default' shutter speed?
Nikki

There's no 'default' shutter speed. An exposure is like an equation. You have aperture, ISO and shutter speed. All of them must add up to a correct exposure value.

If you need a fast shutter (to freeze motion), I can think of two ways.....

Put the camera in Tv mode.. Dial the fastest shutter speed you can.

Another way is to put the camera in Av mode. Set the ISO to 800. Then set your aperture as wide as possible (smallest f number). Go out on a bright sunny day.. That'll give you a fast shutter speed.

BTW.. What are you shooting that you need a fast shutter speed.. And how fast do you consider 'default' ??

[PrimoFelis]

Well I have an OLD Olympus digital camera that took forever to take the shot, and I have a Nikon N65 slr, I assumed the Drebel would shoot more like the Nikon. Was I incorrectly assuming?

Nikki

I know! :idea:

What kind of film are you used to using in your Nikon N65 SLR? Perhaps ISO 400 films? dRebel's ISO can be set to anywhere from 100 to 1600, but right out of the box it is set to 100. So unless you took the time to change the ISO setting, that ISO difference alone would explain the relative slowness in shutter speeds you noticed compared to your Nikon.

The ISO difference of 100 vs. 400 would cause the shutter speeds to be 4 times slower, for example. (The ISO number is an indication of the sensitivity of film / camera sensor. The larger the number, more light-sensitive it is.)

To change the ISO setting on dRebel:
1. Turn the camera on. Wait 3 seconds or so until the camera is fully awake (so to speak).
2. Find the "ISO" button on the right-hand side of the LCD screen on the back of camera. Press the button once.
3. You will see the current ISO setting displayed on the camera display (A number such as 100, 200, 400, etc.)
4. To select a different number, turn the wheel next to the shutter button while a number is still on display. Turn the wheel until a number of your choice is displayed. (I would suggest something like 400 for starters.)
5. Press the ISO button once to finish. This ISO setting will be in effect until you change it again.

And of course any differences in the "speed" (f-number) of the two lenses also affect the differences in shutter speeds. I don't know what lens you are used to using on your Nikon, but Canon's kit lens is not that "fast" as far as lenses go (f/3.5-5.6). Don't get me wrong - it is just fine for outdoor shots. But if you were playing around with your new camera indoors without using the flash, you would see rather slow shutter speeds.

(The 50mm f/1.8 lens you are thinking of buying will make a big difference in this regard, especially for indoor shots without flash.)

I hope I guessed right. :lol:

[IanD]

Nikki,
You would not happen to have set the camera for "self timer" mode?
:?: :?:

[theoldmoose]

Sounds to me like not expecting the autofocus delay with the non-USM kit lens. Shutter lag on the 300D is OK, but isn't normally specified with focusing delay -- it is assumed that the subject is already in focus.

A number of old SLR folks (myself included) are just now graduating not only to a digital SLR, but also an autofocus system as well. It takes some getting used to, and I've missed some shots because of autofocus delays. Pre-focusing doesn't always fix the problem, either, if you don't do a focus lock, then the next time you push the shutter, sometimes the camera 'hunts' all the way to infinity and back to focus before allowing the shutter to open.

If you don't like all the delays that can be introduced from this, then you could switch the lens to 'M' for manual focusing, and pretend you don't have an autofocus camera. The 300D, though, has a pitfifully poor viewfinder screen, though, for manual focus. The familiar old split collar, and prism in the manual focus cameras is gone, and the 300D, of course, does not feature replaceable focus screens. :cry: