G11 came in today, where can I learn how to shoot in manual?

Playing with it a little, but it's somewhat intimidating.

I looked, no stickies for learning manual shooting. Can someone point me in the right direction? This manual thing is greek to me

I use Manual the most, as you get what you see kind of thing,
You hit the metering button, the one above and to the right of the wheel
to change from Aperture f-stops to Shutter speeds and just dial in
until you see what you like.
Also I use the 2 second timer a lot as well to help prevent any motion blur
from pressing the shutter button, of course for things not moving
Other than that, not sure what else you'd need to know, but it is handy to be
able to view what it will appear like, or at least close to it.

G2

Eric Astin wrote in post #10291598
I looked, no stickies for learning manual shooting.

Manual shooting requires a lot of trial and error on your own to really learn proper exposure and what works best for you. Aquire some good books as well.

This book taught me a lot!! Dont be affraid to just get out and take pics of "whatever"!! Thats the beauty of digital, no cost of film!!

Eric Astin wrote in post #10291598
Can someone point me in the right direction? This manual thing is greek to me

Definitions:
Light: Illumination of the scene you want to photograph.
Exposure: the amount of light captured by the camera's sensor (or film).
Settings: things YOU can control on the camera.
Sensor: the device inside the camera that is sensitive to light and captures the image.

Task:
To produce a desired image given the available light, use the camera's settings to control the exposure.

For now, we'll assume you are NOT going to modify the light. Eventually you will want to learn to do this in a variety of ways (flash, reflectors, diffusers, etc.) but you should be comfortable with basic exposure control before adding light modifiers to the equation.

Settings:
You control exposure with THREE settings: ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. A change in ANY one of these will change the exposure, but they each play a different role and have different consequences beyond a change in the exposure. Manual exposure means setting each of these yourself instead of letting the camera choose a setting for you (no AUTO mode at all). A basic description of what each setting does:

ISO controls the sensor's sensitivity to light. A large dial on top of the camera is marked with numbers from 80 (least sensitive to light) to 3200 (most sensitive to light).

Aperture (also called f-stop) controls how big the opening in the lens will be when the picture is taken. A bigger opening lets in more light than a smaller opening. To make things confusing, a smaller number ( 2.8 ) is the largest opening (more light gets in) and a larger number (8.0) is the smallest opening (less light gets in).

Shutter Speed controls the amount of time that light will be hitting the sensor. For most shooting, this is expressed in a fraction of a second, like 1/30 or 1/500. A thirtieth of a second is a longer amount of time than a five-hundredth of a second, so more light gets in at 1/30 than at 1/500.

How to USE the settings to control exposure:
NOTE: This is a GENERAL set of instructions. Creativity and artistic control will often break these rules on purpose to achieve a desired effect.

Go to a place with consistent, medium lighting. Outdoors in shade or inside in a well-lit location. Set everything on your camera manually as follows:

ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/60 second
Aperture: f/4.5

Take a picture and look at the results.

• Too dark? There are THREE ways to lighten the image: higher ISO (400), slower shutter speed (1/50 sec.) or larger aperture (f/4.0)
  
• Too bright? There are three ways to darken the image: lower ISO (100), faster shutter speed (1/80 sec.), smaller aperture (f/5.0)
  

Thanks for taking the time to post that. I do appreciate it. I was able to lighten and darken pictures through your directions. One question, how do I focus in on a object manually?

Thanks again.

Press MF (top of the round control button) and use the outer dial to focus.

What a simple, concise and easily understood introduction to manual exposure, well done!

peejayw wrote in post #10293770
What a simple, concise and easily understood introduction to manual exposure, well done!

Thanks! In addition to helping a new photographer, I hoped to explain a complex subject in simple terms and maybe start a sticky post on manual exposure since the OP stated that one wasn't easy to find.

As most people have said above, its a matter of getting out there and shooting with a bit of trial and error, learning your way around the camera. I did find this book handy for glossing over the functions of the camera, and which is best for the end result you want to acheive.

What a delight to find this post.
In the days of film you had to learn technique. Then you started to learn about light. You also had to learn about the "personality" of each film, and the paper you printed on.
Isn't it amazing how Ansul Adams and others did such wonderful work?

A milestone for me was enroling in and taking the Nikon School (I had Pentax Spotmatic gear, all new, then.) They had a simple handout--a small pocket book with so many hints within it. And you were exposed to the work of dynamic professionals for a day and a half. It truly opened my eyes.

A thought (off the wall) check out youtube and search for videos explainng manual focus and exposure with your camera.

Thanks for your explanation above. Excellent! I bought the Time-Life series back then. And their book, "The Camera" said what you said but it was a whole book thick!

DaveL
Toronto

Sunny 16 rule!

In sunlight
Set aperture at f/16
Set shutter speed at 1/(ISO setting on the camera)

To prevent camera shake from destroying your image:
Shutter speed should be greater than 1/(focal length of lens)

Image stabilization makes such a difference to me. I can hand-hold the camera at lower shutter speeds. (a 100 mm lens--minimum shutter speed (w/o image stabilization) would be 1/100 sec. With image stabilazation it could be 1/25 sec or even slower.

DaveL

Just wait until you try to understand the post processing software...

The G series cameras are pretty forgiving since they don't perform exactly like a slr. Get it so your screen shows the histogram on the screen, center the hump (more or less), and practice...practice...​practice. Go to the library and take out a book on basic photography as the detail translates to digital.

Join the challenges here to force your education. They truly help.

Sunny 16 Rule - Cool, but the G11 doesn't have f/16 IIRC LOL!

You know, there was a day (not that long ago) when every camera was manual. Everyone shooting a DSLR shot in manual mode from the start. It is really, really easy. You are playing with 3 variables. You can preset two and then adjust the 3rd to achieve your exposure as indicated by the light meter.

1. Set your ISO to 80 unless the lighting is weak
2. Set your aperture to f/4.5
3. Adjust shutter speed to get a good exposure as indicated by the light meter.

There ya go, 3 steps and you're shooting in manual.

But I have to ask, WHY do you WANT to shoot in manual mode? I suppose it is a good way to learn the interaction between aperture and shutter speed (i.e. stops) but the whole process really doesn't teach a person that much. It is slower than shooting in an auto exposure mode and will produce worse results in many cases.

You'd be better to get a good beginner's book (Understanding Exposure is good) and read through it. Do some exercises, learn what Shutter, Aperture, ISO, White Balance are and how they (esp. the first 3) interact.

You're right Keith. And photography is all about light. But cameras and light meters aren't smart.

For any ISO you have 2 controls to adjust--lens aperature and shutter speed. Get them right and you have a properly exposed picture. but there are more creative elements.

I put food on the table with photography for years. Sports photography, portraits, weddings. But that's not important.

For me photography is fun because of the adventures I have doing it, and the results I'm proud of.
It's important for me because it helps me really see!


My hope is that the OP will enjoy photography, be challenged by it and succeed. It's the experiences and images that count. Have fun!

DaveL