Ok got my 20D and I have a few questions

[Bsmooth]

Well got my 20d last night and I have a few questions.Yes I did read the manual too,for what it is anyway.As far as the metering goes,I am surprised just hw short a time it actually stays on.Is there a way to make it stay on longer or is that for battery life? Second thing was the metering for aperture and shutter priority.When i was looking at it the meter doesn't really change at all as far as i could see.It picked a shutter or aperture and then dindn't really do anything except keep blinking a suggested setting.Doesn't metering work at all in those modes?
Haven't even really taken any pictures yet,as I just got the battery charged and becoming familiar with all the controls.The battery charger isn't all that clear either as far as instructions go.All that I can say is after it stops blinking let it charge for at least another hour,but know that I know that it doesn't take long at all.
This is my first DSLR,but I will say its quite a jump from film SLR's and quite a bit different from all the Pentax equipment I've used before.Looks like quite a steep learning curve ahead,but like any large climb,its just a matter of taking it one step at a time.For any interested I'll keep you informed of my progress.Great forum and I've been here for quite a while learning before I bought the camera so thanks!

[tim]

Can you explain what you mean by "As far as the metering goes,I am surprised just hw short a time it actually stays on.Is there a way to make it stay on longer or is that for battery life?". Metering isn't what you think it is, but if you describe it, we can help you out. If you mean the green display in the viewfinder, just half press the shutter again. Meter doesn't change just because the LEDs go out.

As for the battery - charge it as long as you feel like. At least wait until it stops blinking, then leave it on for an hour, or overnight, or whatever. It's smart enough not to hurt the battery.

I highly recommend a digital camera course in your area, it'll teach you the basics. It helped me out a lot. It's not that it's hard, it's that it's easier to each in person.

[aam1234]

Second thing was the metering for aperture and shutter priority.When i was looking at it the meter doesn't really change at all as far as i could see.

If I understood you correctly, I think you have to half-press the shutter release to give you an "updated" metering/reading.

[Andy D]

If one of the values is "Blinking" (Shutter or aperture) the camera's meter is telling you that the value needs changing. What metering mode was the camera in? (Av, Tv, P, M)?

[Andy_T]

BSmooth,

the metering will come to life immediately after you half-press the shutter button again.

You might tell us *exactly* what you selected and what started (or continued) blinking (e.g. Do you have '8000' blinking or '3.5' or what?). Metering definitely works in all (apart from manual) mode.

Best regards,
Andy

[Bsmooth]

Iv'e actually used SLR's for 20 years or so,so I'm pretty familiar with regular film cameras.Basically the meter in manual mode is my light meter and it doesn't stay on for more than say 2 - 4 seconds at most.Ok so I just need to press the shutter again.I just thought maybe there was a way to make the meter stay on longer.In Tv and Av is where I get the blinking and from what you've said it just means I need to make adjustments to get it to stop it blinking.I just thought the light meter would also be on at the same time.I understand the metering doesn't change,but for me anyway 2 - 4 seconds isn't quite long enough.I've actually owned a digital point and shoot to get the basics down for almost a year,getting used to what was different from film cameras.

I've always used manual in all my film SLR's anyway and not aperature priority or shutter priority,so maybe I just am not used to those,I like my light meter on all the time,until I'm done,but like I said any new camera invloves a certain learning curve.

Its a new process too because you compose check exposure and then take a shot,but now you get to check the actual picture and histogram too to make sure you don't blow out the highlights.Oh I actually just came back from a two day John Shaw seminar,but it wasn't all about just basics.

To all of you so far I say thanks and I hope to hear even more!

[tim]

The LCD on the camera stays on, but with it on the top of the camera it's not overly convienent to look at that while you're composing a photo.