Newbie: best techniques to calibrate for right balance (M => shutter, aperture, ISO)

Greetings,

I am looking for advices, tips, and techniques on setting the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to attain as sharp as possible but balanced resulting photo. If the exposure is too long, I lose sharpness and get tron-like effects (due to the fact that its most focused on gathering light by exposure).

I want a sharp but good looking image, and I want to go full manual on ISO, f/, and shutter (or exposure). Tips, advices, techniques?

would appreciate help

You've really got to experiment...that's what manual is all about. For sharper pictures, a good place to start is with a shutter speed that's at least 1/your focal length (e.g., 1/50 for a 50mm lens on full frame).

Each photo you capture will have it's own balance. It all depends on how you want that particular shot to look. Stopping motion: faster shutter. Isolating a certain object: shallow DOF.
Put it in Manual Mode and shoot away! Practicing is the best teacher.

Here's a great "stickie" to check out;

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=414088

First I select the aperture for the DOF I want in the photo.

Then I select the shutter speed appropriate to freeze subject motion or to prevent camera shake from affecting the photo.

Then I select the ISO to get the exposure I want.

Now, sometimes when you get to the last step, you are stuck with an ISO selection that is either lower than the camera will go (this can happen in bright sun with f/1.4 or faster lenses) or more commonly you are stuck with an ISO that is higher than you want to use.

When this happens you may have to rethink the first two steps. Perhaps you can use a larger aperture and compromise on DOF a bit. Or you can live with slower shutter, either risking some blur or perhaps using a tripod.

Or adding light.

JeffreyG wrote in post #14554151
First I select the aperture for the DOF I want in the photo.

Then I select the shutter speed appropriate to freeze subject motion or to prevent camera shake from affecting the photo.

Then I select the ISO to get the exposure I want.

Now, sometimes when you get to the last step, you are stuck with an ISO selection that is either lower than the camera will go (this can happen in bright sun with f/1.4 or faster lenses) or more commonly you are stuck with an ISO that is higher than you want to use.

When this happens you may have to rethink the first two steps. Perhaps you can use a larger aperture and compromise on DOF a bit. Or you can live with slower shutter, either risking some blur or perhaps using a tripod.

Good advice.

I'll try to condense it a bit.
1) Select the widest aperture you can live with.
2) Select the slowest shutter speed you can live with.
3) Select the ISO that gives you proper exposure.
4) If that ISO isn't something you can live with, then re-think steps 1 and 2.

Most of these exposure decisions are a series of compromises.

tonylong wrote in post #14554110
Here's a great "stickie" to check out;

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=414088

And then see if this helps, too: Need an exposure crutch?