Is there an online DSLR primer?

Hi guys

The wife and I just gifted ourselves the 70D with 28-135mm kit. We are really coming from the point and shoot world and I am looking to learn how to shoot decently in manual mode.

I have been looking for an online primer that teaches you to shoot manually by leading you to set your camera to XXX and YYY and ZZZ, take a picture. Then adjust the settings to something else and take another shot. Then you look at the results and learn how the changes you made affected the results.

I learn best by doing, but just flailing around with settings on my own and hoping to learn what works best seems like trial and error instead of learning from other's wisdom.

Anyway, I got the ball head for my tripod today, so time to go play a little.

Looking forward to hearing your responses,
Thank you
Michael

Give this a shot. digital-photography-school.com

You can play around with this. Shows results of various settings.

http://camerasim.com/c​amera-simulator/

While not an online primer "Understanding exposure" is probably the best book for anyone just learning manual setting.

If you do not understand shutter speed, ISO, aperture and how they work together then that should be your first stop.

http://www.canonoutsid​eofauto.ca/play/

Dynalmadman wrote in post #16269109
I have been looking for an online primer that teaches you to shoot manually by leading you to set your camera to XXX and YYY and ZZZ, take a picture. Then adjust the settings to something else and take another shot. Then you look at the results and learn how the changes you made affected the results.

A site tells you to to set your camera to XXX and YYY and ZZZ then take a picture. How would that be any different from you just setting the camera to XXX and YYY and ZZZ (of your choosing) and taking a shot to see what it is like? Other than the Sunny 16 rule a tutorial can't tell you what setting to choose because the writer has no way of knowing what the light conditions will be in the place you live, on the day you decide to shoot and at the time you choose to shoot. So just because he writes to "set your camera to XXX and YYY and ZZZ, take a picture" it doesn't mean that those settings will work for you. Shooting in "direct sun" - still depends on the time of day and time of year. Step into shadow and everything changes etc etc.

I agree with the above posters that reading something like Understanding Exposure would be a good thing to do. But while waiting for that to arrive from Amazon I would strongly suggest you just go outside, find a fire hydrant set the camera to M and start photographing it. If you want some settings try F8, 1/400th at ISO400. I have no idea if that will work for you but if it is too bright just increase the shutter speed by one stop and if it is too dark decrease the shutter speed by one stop. When it looks OK just start adjusting the aperture. Open it by one stop (and increase the shutter speed by one stop) and see what effect that has.

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

Totally puzzled about why Manual is so mysterious!

1. Let's imagine camera in Green Box mode. It decides ISO 400 1/250 f/10.
   You can let it set that combination of three settings in Green Box mode, or
   you can manually set ISO400 1/250 f/10 or
   you can manually set any other equivalent combination, like ISO400 1/1000 f/5.
   
2. Let's imagine the camera in P mode. You have ISO 100 set, so meter decides 1/250 f/5.6.
   You can let it set the combination of two settings in P mode, or
   you can manually set 1/250 f/5.6 or any other equivalent combination, like setting ISO400 1/2000 f/4.
   
3. Let's imagine the camera in Av mode. You have ISO 100 and f/8 set, so meter decides 1/125.
   You can let it set the shutter speed in Av mode, or
   you can manually set 1/250 f/5.6 or any other equivalent combination, like ISO400 1/1000 f/4.
   

• Three settings in Green Box
  
• Two settings in P
  
• One setting in Av/Tv
  
• No setting in Manual
  

All of the above posts are helpful. I would suggest that you both just take your cameras outside and start shooting. Dont get discouraged, start by setting your camera to AV (Aperature priority) or TV(Shutter priority) and play with the inverse controls (Aperature or Shutter).

Keep away from the Green Box or P mode as they will just increase your learning curve. Whatever the shot you take, always look at ISO, Apperature, Shutter and focal length.

As a fun test. Set your camera to AV and shoot an object in the center of a field varying your aperature with each shot. GO inside and study the pictures and see how aperature changes your depth of field. Google or search this forum when you have questions, but the best advise in my opinion is to just get time behind the lens.

Good point. I started with AV and it really woke things up for me.

In manual, to start you just need to balance ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed for the look you want while maintaining the light meter in the middle. The simulators are good for that part.

Next is understanding your light meter and exposure. It is geared to mid grey. If you shoot pure black tar it will come out overexposed or grey. If you shoot pure snow it will come out underexposed or grey. If your frame has 50% tar and 50% snow this is a good balance and will give you a good exposure.

So tar you underexpose the meter left a stop or two. For snow you overexpose your meter a stop or two to the right.

Metering systems are pretty advanced and if you are using evaluative metering are really good at general day to day shots.

Then you get into some advanced stuff. If you were out shooting a football game you can set up the camera and expose of the grass. Grass is close to mid grey and once you get the exposure you can ignore the meter and shoot away as long as the light does not change. This gives you a consistent exposure as opposed to your meter continually adjusting like in AV mode. This because in one frame you may have several white jerseys filling it while in another there is one jersey filling only 20% of the frame. People also use grey cards for this.

AV is actually really good for that. Many like to shoot in manual and I do as well but have no issue shooting in AV and will yield good results. Only tough things are like shooting when something is back lit meaning the light is behind the person.

This a good book.

http://www.amazon.com …Photographs/dp/​0817439390

gremlin75 wrote in post #16269448
While not an online primer "Understanding exposure" is probably the best book for anyone just learning manual setting.

If you do not understand shutter speed, ISO, aperture and how they work together then that should be your first stop.

+1 to this book. It totally changed my photography.

rockfordhx wrote in post #16272750
......

Keep away from the Green Box or P mode as they will just increase your learning curve. Whatever the shot you take, always look at ISO, Apperature, Shutter and focal length.

.......

I believe that (P)rogram mode is a good learning tool to see how the camera believes the exposure should be set and you can change the ISO, aperture and shutter speed to achieve the exposure you want in the shot.

That worked for me, anyway.

gremlin75 wrote in post #16269448
While not an online primer "Understanding exposure" is probably the best book for anyone just learning manual setting.

If you do not understand shutter speed, ISO, aperture and how they work together then that should be your first stop.

Yes! Buy this book!