lonewolf456

Just purchased a Canon T4i and want to develop some skills. Know next to nothing on getting started. Have reviewed part of the manual, but I can see I don't need to know 95 % of it when just getting started. Initial shots will be landscape, forests, lakes, waterfalls, and local scenery here in Vermont. Suggestions welcomed on vehicles available to "learn the ropes" before getting getting into a lot of digital detail options.

Onembz

Best of luck. Use the search button above and ask questions when you need to The hog is a great resource

surfshoptom

B&H website has a lot of instructional videos that are worthwhile to watch. I especially like Jeff Cable. He says he "lives" in Av mode. Play with Exposure Compensation and ISO and have fun!

lonewolf456

Good feedback, appreciate the "sharing" and will report on progress down the road.

goldentree Loc: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

Should you want a larger version of your manual (8"by 11"), check out ManualsInk (thru Amazon). This one not only has the large print, but it is also spiral bound and will lay open. :)

lonewolf456

Thank you Goldentree good advice here.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Wolf, welcome to the Hog.
Yes, one's first DSLR can certainly be a daunting experience.
I suggest you put the camera on Auto Mode(the little green square). Then yes, get the manual back out and review the different modes that are available to use on Auto Mode. That will eliminate that 95% of the manual that your not into at the moment.
Auto will enable you to start getting great shots, most of the time, and the camera will do almost all of the thinking for you. By the time you get used to the camera, you will realize that there are things you just can't shoot correctly in Auto Mode. That's where the other 95% of the manual starts to come in. At that point figure out what things in the manual might achieve what you need, and at that point you can come back and start asking specific questions here on the Hog.
Also at the top there is a search box, where you can type in search words, like DoF, or shooting on manual, or White Balance, and past discussions will/may come up on those subjects, or start your own posts, as you have done now.
Wolf, put on your seat belt, as learning here can sometimes get turbulent.
Wolf, again welcome to the Hog and good Luck. ;-)

PS, Wolf, you chose a Canon, you are already miles ahead of the guys with the other brands(Wolf, can you tell I shot a Canon)!! :lol:
SS

Danoj Loc: Winnebago Co. Illinois

I bought my T4i about...? when the T5i came out. Far cry from my point & shoot. Took some getting used to, for sure. Lot's of advice and ideas from this group. Even if you just read the posts you will learn things and hear about interesting techniques. Try them out. You will undoubtedly also receive condolences from fans of Brand X. Anyway... enjoy your new machine and as the UHH-ers all say...practice, practice, practice.

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

No! No! No! :shock:
I'm going to disagree with you on this one.
Nobody should ever, under any circumstances, use the green (idiot) box!
You will never learn anything doing that.
I cringe when I see somebody shooting in Green Box mode. :-(

It's best if you can learn to pick two things (among ISO, shutter speed and lens opening)
But even a beginner shouldn't let the camera pick all three.
You are not going to learn anything that way.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Swampy, you've been a pro, or at least shooting like a pro, for so long, you don't even remember what the green square is for.
I wasn't suggesting he should marry the little green Martian, just use it to get used to the camera, as it seemed a good fit with the kind of avoidance with 95% of his manual he was doing.
I'll tell him to move it, when he's gonna do a BIF! :lol:
SS

lonewolf456

Thanks Sharpshooter, just the kind of advice to the start of a great adventure. Much appreciated.

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

Oh I hear what you are saying and you're right, I might sometimes tend to lose perspective.
But what I was thinking was that even the Program mode where the camera picks the shutter speed and the lens opening and the photographer at least picks the ISO might be more helpful.
Then you could look later at what the camera choose and hopefully learn from there what worked and what didn't.
Anybody should be able to walk outside and be able to make a somewhat educated decision on ISO.
If someone doesn't know to pick two of the three main settings, at least start with one like ISO to get you rolling.
Heck even back in the film days when you walked into the drug store to pick up a roll you had to choose from 100-400 ASA.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

[
PS, Wolf, you chose a Canon, you are already miles ahead of the guys with the other brands(Wolf, can you tell I shot a Canon)!! :lol:
SS[/quote]

What did you use to shoot your Canon?

Gunpowder? Water? Laser beam? :lol: :lol: :lol:

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Jethro, my Canon is loaded with 21 megatons of pixels. It's quite a lively charge, even on silent mode. It's deadly accurate on BIF's!! :lol:
SS

tinplater Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

The T4i is a great little camera. Take lots of images, experiment, you are wasting nothing! The data and information about each picture is recorded by the camera, so you don't have to write anything down. Auto will get you started, but to really understand the creative part of photography, you need to explore other modes. I would suggest "A" which stands for aperture priority. You select the aperture, the camera selects an appropriate shutter speed. M (manual) allows you to really control the camera, selecting combinations of shutter speed and aperture of your choice. Concentrate on examining the sharpness of the image, depth of field, how exposure affect the balance of the photo. Good luck