GeneinChi Loc: Chicago, IL

Later this afternoon I leave on vacation to Budapst and Berlin with my almost new refurbished D7100 with an 28-140 lens and a 35mm 1.8 for lowlight situations in churches, museums etc. I've only had a chance to shoot a couple of dozen pictures with the camera so I'm not totally comfortable with it. I've read a couple of books and I believe I have the camera set up properly. My goal is not shoot the entire trip on auto. However, if I'm not sure of what to do in a certain situation Auto it will be! I'm taking a field cheat sheet so that will help. I'm also putting an RX100 in the bag that I am very familiar with if I really start to panic. And I always have my phone. Bottom line...going to have fun learning on the fly. Hopefully I will have something to post for critique when I get back.

Happy Holiday season to all the Hoggers and thank you for your wonderful insights. Looking forward to a great 2016!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That sounds like a good trip. When in doubt, putting the D7100 in Auto could save the day.

skywolf

I shot my granddaughter's holiday program with my new, refurb 7100. Crappy lighting, as usual. Shot on ISO 2000, 55-200 Nikon lens (kit lens), handheld 1/60th at 5.6. A bit of noise, a bit of shake on some, but still got usable shots. Shot a few things outside, under much better conditions, and got great shots!

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

Hope you have a great trip. Are you saying you don't know what settings to change to achieve the shot you want? Or that you don't know where the settings you want to change are located?

If the later, then it's a long flight you should have time to figure it out. There are of course more than ISO/Shutter/Aperture, but those three are your main settings and really handy to find at your fingertips. Once you know where those are, I usually can zero in, in less than 2 seconds.

On the other hand if it is the former, it will take much longer than the flight to learn, so maybe keep on auto.

GeneinChi Loc: Chicago, IL

Thanks Jerry....Auto is there for a reason, right??

GeneinChi Loc: Chicago, IL

THanks for the reply Cap48. I have pretty decent understanding of photography from my years with film. The D7100 is my first venture into an upscale DSLR. It just that Im unfamiliar with the camera in general but I'm sure I'll get through it. And the plane ride will be used for review!! Good news is my wife only want me to keep pics of her that she deems she looks good in. I figure if I put her in all the shots and have to take a few to get it right, she wont give me any problems!! Happy holiday.

GeneinChi Loc: Chicago, IL

THanks for the reply Skywolf. I'm pretty excited to give the camera run through. I know the more I shoot the more confident I'll be with the camera. Not matter what, Im going to have fun with it. Happy Holiday.

dsp Loc: Denver, Colorado

Enjoy your D7100, Gene. It's an excellent camera!

Oftentimes, when first learning how to use it -- particularly in Manual mode and the relationships between shutter, aperture and ISO -- it can be helpful to first shoot in the automatic mode then review the image and note the various settings that the automatic setting used. You can then switch over to Manual and experiment with the same settings and/or variations to see how these relationships work together. For me, it helped to provide the conceptual overview needed to shoot in Manual. Too, there are lots of articles that describe this basic triangle (shutter/ aperture/ISO) that provide a good grounding in the mechanics of image creation.

So, good luck and have a great trip!

From a former Chicagoan.

jcboy3

Yes; it's there because there was an extra space on the mode dial and they couldn't think of anything useful to do with it.

Every picture you take will need a particular depth field and shutter speed to achieve the results you want, either to separate foreground from background, keep important but separate items in focus, freeze action, and so on. ISO should be minimized to satisfy those needs while keeping noise at bay. Exposure compensation is needed to adjust for wide dynamic range.

And where you focus is critical to putting the depth of field where you want.

Only you can determine what is needed for your picture, the camera is just an idiot on a leash.

Stick some gaffers tape over the P on your mode dial and never go there again.

It's a waste of perfectly good photons.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

In an article I read online, Joel Sartori (Nat Geo) said that he usually keeps his cameras set on Auto at home so he can pick one up and shoot.

Tpharm Loc: Central PA

Just a thought from a new D3100 learner- I shoot jpeg and raw now to have a larger file in elements, if I have to adjust an over or under exposed manual shot. You need lots more cards if you do.

joe west Loc: Taylor, Michigan

good luck on your trip and merry christmas

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

I leave my D7200 on S or A so it's ready to be picked up on the spur of the moment. If you have some idea of what you're trying to accomplish, A can help you control depth of field, S can help you stop or blur motion to your liking. You only need to set one part of the exposure triangle, the camera does the rest. One step more control than fully auto, one step less than manual. One good way to cheat is to use the built-in scene modes. Say you are shooting a sunset, put the camera into the Scene mode and select sunset. Take a picture and when you review it, hit the down arrow on the command dial a couple of times until you get to the EXIF info. You'll see what aperture, shutter speed and ISO the camera chose. Then you can work from there with your own settings. Let the computer built into every modern camera teach you, at least you can get to a starting point and experiment from there. Also, if you have some settings you use a lot, like for HDR photography or for higher shutter speeds for action, you can program U1 and U2 with those settings, so they're right there on the dial and you can then adjust from there. The next time you turn the camera on and off, it reverts to the settings you saved before. Good luck, you're going to love that camera.

waykee7 Loc: Cortez, Colorado

My friends tease me that I have a D810 and shoot two modes, aperture and occasionally automatic. The advantage of Aperture is that I can set to f8, which is usually the sweet spot for lenses (or thereabouts) and I try to. E aware of my shutter speed, and adjust my ISO accordingly. Some people seem to look down on Automatic, but it does allow me to pay attention to making the picture or quick re-compositions. Some think if you don't shoot Manual you are somehow deficient. I see things differently. I have a friend who is a talented artist. . . And she understands composition, color, lighting, contrast, texture, story, drama, form, etc. She isn't a photographer; it's just not her medium. But if I gave her my camera set on auto, and put her in an interesting setting, I bet she would blow the socks
Off 99% of the photographers on the forum. And I for one would be most reluctant to show scorn and say, oh, you shot these on automatic? So I say, shoot away with a new camera on automatic and enjoy yourself!
Wayne

portcragin Loc: Kirkland, WA

I love my refurbed D7100, upgrading from a D7000(also a great camera). Excellent results in low light. I commonly shoot indoors with good result at ISO of 1600. I like large prints and am always aware of possible noise. I like larger prints (16 X20). I generally shoot in aperture priority unless there is a reason not to. I do post process my pictures. I also shoot fine Jpeg & Raw. Have a great trip.

Good shooting,