New D60...Advice?

[deliverymanxas]

Recently bought a Nikon D60, and grabbed the 55-200 lens to go with my 18-55mm. I upgraded from a Sony Cybershot, and this beast is tons better already

What are some tips or advice that some of you might be able to give on favorite settings?

MASP? Auto? Flash?

Ive been experimenting with several of the settings, and flippin through this and that. Found alot of info on this site that has helped me out in figuring out a few nice little tricks to this bad boy, and I guess Im more curious to hear what modes/settings the 'pros' like to shoot on I think currently alot of my photo faves have been shot in Auto, but since finding this site I like Aperture-Priority f/16 and then mixing up my ISO's.

I think I got my Flickr added to my Sig, if you are curious check em out and please leave a bit of critique...Im still learning a few things on this site, and will try to post a few pics in the coming days.

Thanks in advance for any help you all can give

[OsmosisStudios]

Why are you shooting at f/16 and playing with ISO? I would do the opposite: leave the ISO as low as possible (best image quality) and only adjust the aperture/shutter speeds. ISO is the LAST thing I play with.

I pretty much only use Full Manual (M). It gives me all the control over the image. Yes, it takes more time, but it gives me that much more instant control. When time is an issue (photojournalism, mainly) I switch over the P sometimes, depending on the conditions.

[wulf]

Shooting at f/16 and playing with ISO is okay but I wouldn't get fixated on that. Concentrate on the playing rather than getting locked into particular settings.

Personally, although I'm only a "Pro" on Flickr, I do find that manual mode works best for me. I'm forced there to some extent anyway because my favourite lenses only operate in manual mode! I got out of auto mode pretty quickly when I got the camera (the whole point was to take control). Initially I mainly used aperture or shutter priority modes but full manual really isn't that scary after a little practise.

One thing I would do is make sure you have full control over ISO. Like aperture and shutter settings, adjusting it has side effects so I think is best not to let the camera make decisions about it because, while it can compute light readings very quickly, it has no sense of aesthetics!

Wulf

[deliverymanxas]

Thanks for the advice. Mostly I messed with the ISO for last weeks 'assignment' and took a ton of f/16 pics. Other than that, I like to just 'play' and run with what I got

Thanks again

Dman

[candleman]

in bad lighting situations for for the max aperture (f/3.2 and the smaller numbers)
then you can get away with a lower ISO


check out the "tips for beginners" on DPS Blog.theres a TON of info there, from holding the camera to composition, to settings..

all the best

[deliverymanxas]

Originally Posted by candleman

in bad lighting situations for for the max aperture (f/3.2 and the smaller numbers)
then you can get away with a lower ISO


check out the "tips for beginners" on DPS Blog.theres a TON of info there, from holding the camera to composition, to settings..

all the best

Yeah, I got this 'Nikon School Guide to Digital SLR Photography' when I bought my camera and case. It has helped me with a few of the basics but some of the text is still greek to me, thus my curiousity here...
Now Im at the stage of trying other things and really diggin in with other stuff. Will hit the Tips for further tips and settings.

Thanks Candleman

[Stirlingdesigns]

I learned this from a class I took:
-set your camera on a tripod
-choose av or aperture priority
-choose the lowest f-stop
-take a picture
-now take one picture at each f-stop
Load them up on your computer - note what the camera chose for shutter speed with each f-stop - how clear the background and foreground are

Now do with with both lenses you own.

Then start over but choose shutterspeed while focusing on a moving object (like a flower blowing in the wind) do the same thing take a picture at each shutter speed.

This is a great way to get to know your camera - and you will come to find your fav settings.

Have fun playing!

[deliverymanxas]

Originally Posted by Stirlingdesigns

I learned this from a class I took:
-set your camera on a tripod
-choose av or aperture priority
-choose the lowest f-stop
-take a picture
-now take one picture at each f-stop
Load them up on your computer - note what the camera chose for shutter speed with each f-stop - how clear the background and foreground are

Now do with with both lenses you own.

Then start over but choose shutterspeed while focusing on a moving object (like a flower blowing in the wind) do the same thing take a picture at each shutter speed.

This is a great way to get to know your camera - and you will come to find your fav settings.

Have fun playing!

Great advice! It was a bit time consuming, but in the end worth the time and effort. Thanks!