HELP!!!

I've recently acquired a Canon 10D with several lenses and a bunch of other goodies but I've been having difficulty finding just what works best for me. I've been playing around with the Tv, and Av modes but the pictures never turn out half as good as when I use the auto mode. Any suggestions would help. Also, I'm new to any real photography aside from using a point and shoot camera. Thanks.

Medic

Welcome to the forums
Can you post examples of the images you're unhappy with? It might help people who want to help.
What is it you're unhappy about with the pictures?

Hi Medic and welcome. If you've never used a DSLR before, then the Bad News is you've potentially got a steep learning curve ahead of you. The Good News is that you've come to the right place for help and advice!

The first thing to do is to read the manual that came with your 10D, cover to cover, more than once. Your camera is an incredibly complicated tool and it is simply not possible to work out on your own how to get the best from it without reading the manual. If you bought it second-hand and didn't get a manual, you can download it here.

The next thing to do is to get hold of "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Most people here reckon it's the best guide to understanding apertur, shuitter speed, and stuff like that.

Then: get out there and practice. Post a few shots at the Critique Corner here and ask for advice. And have fun!

Help - Where do you start!?
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=135107
Virtual Camera
http://www.photonhead.​com/simcam/
Canon: = Enjoy! Digital SLR camera =
http://www.canon.co.jp​/Imaging/enjoydslr/ind​ex.html
Thomas Hawk's 10 Tips for the New Digital SLR Photographer
http://thomashawk.com …-for-new-digital-slr.html
Video PhotoTips for landscape, in/outdoor high/low key portraits, wedding, glamour, aerial, couples, children, sports, nature, time-exposures (Slow loading)
http://alwaysgirls.ezt​hemes.com/video/index.​php?Photography
Strobist - "Less Gear • More Brain • Better Light": http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com/
David (?), a working photographer promotes more effective use of small, shoe-mount flashes with pics & examples:
http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com …/welcome-to-strobist.html
Photo Enhancement 101- Basic pic "fixing" in PS (I do this in RAW processing, but if you're shooting jpegs...)
http://raymondshay.com …PhotoEditing101​/index.htm
For your consideration
https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?p=1155631
A lot of questions!
https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?p=1529836
Sticky: Tutorial: Where to host my photos?
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=163130

weemannie wrote:
Welcome to the forums
Can you post examples of the images you're unhappy with? It might help people who want to help.
What is it you're unhappy about with the pictures?

I would except I delete them from the camera as I take them. I guess that's not a good practice. If they aren't good at the time I take the picture, I just get rid of it and try again.

Its not a bad idea to look at them on your PC before deleting them. The camera LCD is not the best place to really assess your image. Its also useful to help you decide what's wrong with the picture and think of how to get it right.
What were you unhappy with? Was it the exposure e.g. was the image too dark or light? Was it the focus that was poor? As you see from other posts here, its a huge subject, if we can narrow it down to some specifics we may be able to give some guidance.

Medic85,
Here is my suggestion:
Try putting the camera on its "M" setting to truly get used to your cameras settings (using the 10D partial metering setting is recommended for metering). By doing this you will make yourself familar with your cameras settings, much better then film because you see results immediately. Once you learn your camera and its settings its very possible you will make better adjustments ex. f/stop, shutter, iso, white balance and other settings then the camera computer chip can. Of course until you become familar with this, just switch back to Auto mode when you want to get the shot. You might want to take a trip to your local library and pickup a photography book (ex. Kodaks Guide to 35mm Photography, this helps describe the different settings for 35mm film but the same general process still exists), or any other book on SLR or DSLR photography.
However only you can truly make the choice of what works best for you

I came across this in another thread but I thought it might be worth reposting it here for you, Medic. It's a web site that simulates what happens when you change aperture, shutter speed, etc.: SimCam. Maybe a little bit more convenient than doing the experiments yourself.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

To answer the question about what I don't like, I think it's probably mostly the exposure that I'm having trouble with. I'll also try to use the (M) setting more and see what happens there. I've been using the Av, and Tv modes to just mess around and see what works best but I'm sure that I'm probably not using the right settings on the camera for the ambient lighting where I'm taking the pictures. I'll continue to try different suggestions and see what happens. Thanks again to everyone for your suggestions.

Medic