# Need help whit my new camera settings



## D'cecilia (Jun 12, 2009)

I just bought a Nikon P80 yesterday ($140). I have been taking some picture (attached) and some of them come out nicely and all, but i have just been guessing and playing around with the settings.
The question is: What are ISO, Shutter speed, aperture, and how does each
affect the quality of the picture, and what would be normal settings for each type of photography, from portrait, to landscape, marco, etc.
In manual mode, the camera goes from 64 to 6400 ISO, the shutter speed
goes from 8" to 1/2000, and the Aperture is from 4.5 to 8 i think.


thanks.  hope someone understand what i meant, cus i kind didn't. 
Thanks.


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## D'cecilia (Jun 12, 2009)

pics


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## snafu (Oct 9, 2004)

D'cecilia said:


> I just bought a Nikon P80 yesterday ($140). I have been taking some picture (attached) and some of them come out nicely and all, but i have just been guessing and playing around with the settings.
> The question is: What are ISO, Shutter speed, aperture, and how does each
> affect the quality of the picture, and what would be normal settings for each type of photography, from portrait, to landscape, marco, etc.
> In manual mode, the camera goes from 64 to 6400 ISO, the shutter speed
> ...


might be worth spending $15-20 on a decent book like Understanding Exposure (ref http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003?)? someone on here will likely give you the definitions, but seeing the effect of each with real pictures will help tremendously.


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

I found this to be helpful when I was playing with my new cam!

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/photography/5806-avoiding-image-blur-3-3-a.html


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

I took a photography class this year, it's only highschool, but I think I know what some of those terms mean. Shutter speed is what it is, the larger the number, the shorter the shutter speed, because the number represents how many under one it is (example: shutter speed of 16 = 1/16 of a second). Faster shutter speed means less light, this is good on outdoor shots or when you don't have a tripod, slower shutter speeds are good for indoor shots (of fish tanks  ) but may require a stand at shutter speed at 32 or below. Aperture is how wide the lens opens. The aperture is measured by the F-Stop and changes how wide the lens opens, different apertures mean different depth of fields, also, a higher f-stop needs a longer shutter speed, because higher f-stop means smaller lens opening, so it lets in less light (here's an example i found http://www.curiosity-media.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/apertur.jpg). ISO refers to film speed, although we didn't use it too much in class, but we learned to always go for a lower ISO, lower ISO = better quality picture, however, sometimes a higher ISO is necessary if taking pictures in a darker environment, because ISO determines how sensitive your picture is going to be to light. However, since your camera is newer, it probably has an auto function that will automatically adjust the settings for you.

Sorry, my explanations are rather poor, I only took one semester of highschool photography.


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## sajata (Aug 21, 2009)

the one thing that can be of use is that film and digital are the same when it comes to the camera stuff. everything you asked about is the same if you are shooting film of digital. so go to a used book store and find a book and camera usage.

if you want a definitive work on how to use a camera look here
http://www.amazon.com/Camera-Ansel-Adams-Photography-Book/dp/0821221841


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## dodohead (Jan 11, 2010)

vincent k is pretty much right but thats kinda confusing =x

theres 3 things on the camera that you need to take a correct picture...

ISO, aperture and shutterspeed..

first, aperture. thats the hole in the lens. its measured by F stops. F1.4, 1.8, 2.8, 5.6, 8, 11, 22 etc.... the bigger the hole, the smaller the number. F1.4 is a big hole. it means it lets in lots of light. more so than a tiny hole like F22. 
when the hole is big, the depth of field is shallow. meaning... if u have 1 object 5ft away from u.. another 10ft and another 15ft... if u aim at the first object, the other 2 farther away objects will be blurry
when the aperture hole is small like F22.. everything will be focused... 

shutter speed is how long the shutter stays open. if u want to freeze a car going by you at 100mph.. the faster the shutter opens and closes, the more frozen the picture will be. like helicopter blades.. if u do 1/2000 second... its like a blink of an eye.. the rotors will be frozen. 

that only works if theres enough light. aperture and shutter go hand in hand. if its a bright sunny day and your aperture is wide open... tons of light's going through the lens. if u leave the shutter open too long, the picture will be white. 
if its a dark room ... the shutter has to stay open longer to let in enough light for a correctly exposed pic. 

get it? if u leave the shutter open too long, it'll be too bright. if its not open long enough, it'll be too dark. 

next is ISO.. which is basically like film.... light sensitivity. the higher the number the more sensitive.... ISO 200 is 2x more sensitive than ISO 100. ISO 400 is 4x more than 100.. get it? sounds great huh.. but the higher the ISO, the more grainy the picture will come out.. keep the ISO as low as possible for the conditions... bright day.. leave it low. in a dark theater... and you maxed out the aperture and shutterspeed...... crank up the ISO

now to your camera... "A" on the dial is aperture priority. u can set what the aperture is. youre basically saying.. i want the aperture to be 5.6... and the camera figures out what shutter speed to make it a nice pic. 

"S" is shutter priority... youre saying i want my pics to be 1/500th of a second.. u figure out the aperture camera.. 

"M" is you set the aperture and shutter yourself. like if youre taking a picture of the moon or something where the camera will get confused at what settings to use.

"P" is when u want the camera to set the aperture, and shutter speed. (lame)

that "green camera" symbol... the camera sets ISO, aperture, and shutter.. (total noobness)

another thing, the rule is... if your zoom on your lens is 50mm, your shutter has to be at least 1/50 sec to be clear. if youre zooming in to 100mm.. its gotta be at least 1/100th sec .. 

i guess once u understand the technical stuff, its up to u to decide what kind of picture you want. and remember the rules of thirds.. never keep the subject in the middle of the pic if it can be helped..and never put the horizon of a pic in the middle.. either 1/3 up or 2/3 down... 

wow i typed a lot.. i didnt reread it.. i think i over did it.. but i hope it makes sense.. im just bored now.. 

ok ill post pics ive taken so u know what im talking bout.. 
this was probably F4.0 or F5.6... see how only his eyes are focused.. and nose.. but his ears and background are blurry









this one is the legion of honor in SF. i left the shutter open for 1 minute.. why didnt it come out over exposed? it was dark and i made the aperture small so the whole pic would be focused..









heres the golden gate toll plaza.. i think i left the shutter open for 45 seconds and the aperture was small to allow me to keep it open so long.. neat huh..









here i used the panning technique.. leaving the shutter open longer than u should.. to blur the background. u follow the object so it stays focused.. it gives it a sense of motion.. 









i think this was 1/800th of a second.. see how everythings frozen almost.. it was when jorge lorenzo crashed... there was enough light for a split second pic..









and this one is just cool and it was an epic race..


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## D'cecilia (Jun 12, 2009)

Wow those are some incredible pictures, thanks for the post.
And yes the information you gave me is great! ahah
Ill rule out the "P" mode then, ahha I've only been using the Manual mode, since im
just experimenting whit it, i think im starting to get the hang of it, but i want to be
able to understand exacly what im doing.

And thanks evryone.

im printing out all this information and others that i found, imma
spend the whole weekend reading and hopefully ill be a little more
educated in this 

thanks everyone again.


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## dodohead (Jan 11, 2010)

np.. um even i dont shoot in M mode.. cause its sorta hit and miss.. the light and surroundings change constantly. i'll let the camera decide.. if it has something to do with speed.. i use S, if its like i want a certain blurriness and theres no motion.. ill use A. 
im gonna go on a little trip this weekend.. im probably gonna add another 3000 clicks on my camera.. ill see how it goes


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## D'cecilia (Jun 12, 2009)

Oh really? ahha, i've been using the Manual mode just cus i was ablet o 
move both Speed and aperture, but ill start to read what i printed out today.

Just one last thing. Imma give you a list of diffrent kinds of pictures that
one can take, and can you give me a general setting in which you reccomend
to take them?
Not sure i made myself clear, ahah, but ill give you the lis anyways.

Picture of:
A person outside in sunlight:
A bird up on a tree:
A car passing by,20-60mph:
The moon:
The sun setting:
The bus stop late at night:
A big Building at night time:
A kid playing soccer (day):
A kid playing soccer(night):
A mountian:
Flowers (close up):
A person indoors(low light):
People walking in the street:
A lake at mid-day:

just some examples of what im going to use this for


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## dodohead (Jan 11, 2010)

Picture of:
A person outside in sunlight: make sure the sun is facing the person, not behind the person... i'd put it on A, ISO 100, F8

A bird up on a tree: i have a 400mm lens so i'd put mine on S in case it decides to start flying.. ISO250, and 1/650/sec (it has to be over 1/400x 1.6 on my cam)

A car passing by,20-60mph: put it on S, ISO 100 if its bright enough, if u wanna freeze it 1/800 sec.. if u want the wheels sorta moving 1/400, if u want to blur it.. follow the car and put it at like 1/150

The moon: i put mine on M, 1/100-1/250sec, F8.0-F11

The sun setting: A, Iso 200, F16, tripod if possible

The bus stop late at night: ehh depends, use a tripod or rest the camera on something. i'd probably put it on M, and trial and error a shot. probably iso 320 or 400, f8, 1/100 if theres enough light.. whatever looks right

A big Building at night time: use a tripod, but it depends really. if u have a long exposure, keep the aperture small and shutter open for a while. if u dont have a tripod, big aperture, shorter shutter speed on M. maybe even try P and see what it does.. u might need a high ISO w/o a tripod

A kid playing soccer (day): S, 1/500 sec, iso100

A kid playing soccer(night): M, iso400+, shutter 1/200, aperture wide open.. depends really.. .maybe a flash? i dont know

A mountian: A, iso 100, tripod, aperture 16-22

Flowers (close up): A, iso100, F2.8-F8. depending on light and wind.. 

A person indoors(low light): P with flash! or M with flash and play with the settings, low ISO

People walking in the street:depends if u want motion or not.. i'd put it on S cause people are moving and pick the speed u want... lowest iso possible with the light

A lake at mid-day: depends what kinda pic u want... and the light but i'd put it on A if its calm, figure out a good aperture to get the effect u want.. S if its windy and theres lots of motion and figure the speed u want

i guess i do lots of fast action stuff.. more so than regular type pictures.. but everything depends on what u want from the pic and the light available


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## D'cecilia (Jun 12, 2009)

WOw thanks SOOO much.
Im goign to read over those and read over other articels i have, and spend
a couple hours reading them.
Thanks again 

ANd good luck on your trip.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Nothing beats getting out and shoot. The experience you'll gain will be better than anything. Understand the concepts and shoot away.

And keep in mind that only a small fraction of the pictures you take will be great pictures. This is the general rule even for professional photographers.


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## T1T4N1UM (Dec 14, 2009)

dodohead said:


> Picture of:
> A person outside in sunlight: make sure the sun is facing the person, not behind the person... i'd put it on A, ISO 100, F8


I like to keep portraits at f/2.8, and sun is behind the person, as I have a flash. Makes them able to open their eyes. you will not believe the amount of squinty pictures you get from people that are looking at the sun.


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## T1T4N1UM (Dec 14, 2009)

Also, regarding iso, i would never go higher than 800, especially on a point and shoot. Even on my d300s, iso past 400 usually results in a noticeable amount of noise. 

I would also assume that your camera has a macro setting, general rule is use it when the subject is closer than 50 cm. 

Another note: not sure if your camera has vr. if it does, then you can slow your shutter speed about 1 or 2 stops lower than what dodohead recommended.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Clouds are your friend. An overcast blocks out direct sunlight which will wash out your subject. And most clouds make the sky interesting. The best natural lighting conditions are morning and evening.


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## D'cecilia (Jun 12, 2009)

Another quick question.

My girlfriend is graduating today from High school.
She wants me to take pictures of her and her teachers/friend
after the ceremony. It will probably end at around 9 or after,
it will be in the football stadium, and obviously the light for
the stadium will be on.

What would be the best setting for me?
My S,P,A modes don't allow me to us the flash(i wonder why?), 
so shouldi just use the "night" mode?, or would i be better off
just setting up the camera in S or P mode right before starting
to take pictures?

Thanks.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

auto night mode with flash is best.


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## dodohead (Jan 11, 2010)

i'd go with auto settings and .. practice ahead of time.. practice on a plant, a friend.. something.. before u take the real shots that matter..


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## D'cecilia (Jun 12, 2009)

allright, Thank you both 
ill post up some pictures tomorrow if they coem out good 

thanks.


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## Digital (Apr 4, 2008)

You can easily spend hours taking photos of your fish, you should try that out. I take mine on ISO 400 / 800, in good lighting you wont get much noise.


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