kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

I will try that.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

That was a joke ("Who reads the manual?"), but you're right. I should, and I will.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

That would explain why it won't fire, probably because the shutter speed was set too high; part of that problem is that its very easy to accidentally move the command dial and end up with a much higher shutter speed. I normally try to use either 1/125 or 1/250;

Silverman Loc: Michigan

Please remind me, What exactly is the "Sunny 16 Rule"??

Bubbee Loc: Aventura, Florida

Sunny day..
No flash.(unless fill)..f16...1/125th...iso100
Ridiculous with flash unless you're direct and close...4ft or so, to subject

BebuLamar

Don't want to be nit picking but the f/16 rule is the shutter speed equals 1/ISO so if the ISO is 100 the shutter speed is 1/100. In the old days most cameras don't have 1/100 shutter speed so 1/125 is close enough but today most cameras do have 1/100 shutter speed.

autofocus Loc: North Central Connecticut

that be the truth :) But back in the "old days" one was told to have the sun behind you (the shooter) and be direct on the subjects which of course causes squinty eyes and harsh shadows and basically what an old non adjustable box camera would provide for you. My feelings are to forget that, and just learn to shoot in manual mode, it's not rocket science folks. Centering the meter with a quick adjustment on one or two dials seems pretty easy to me. The hard part, and what may take some time, is knowing how to interpret the light that is giving you the meter reading you are seeing, and when to over, or underexpose the shot.

BebuLamar

Said nothing about manual mode. Just cited the rule.

autofocus Loc: North Central Connecticut

geez, I'm just in support of what you said guy! Did you see my first sentence, I'm agreeing with you!

BebuLamar

No problem I just don't want to tell anyone to use or learn about manual mode any more.

autofocus Loc: North Central Connecticut

now why would you not want to do that...it's really the only way you have more complete control over your exposures. You are making the decisions, and not the camera. Even the semi automatic settings of "A" and "S" will often get it wrong in many lighting conditions...shoot a subject in aperture priority with a lot of bright sky in the frame and without adjusting the EV, and nine out of ten times you'll get an underexposed subject. My feelings, if you need to take the time to make EV adjustments in aperture priority, why not then just shoot in manual where you could consciously overexpose a shot like that?? And shooting in manual will get you on the right track of truly understanding exposure, and to be able to read the light, and how to be smarter than the meter. And once you do that, you will always have that knowledge in your bag of tricks.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

Happens all the time. With “A”, shots are too dark, some just right, for the same subject. With “S” often they’re too washed out.

autofocus Loc: North Central Connecticut

I probably shoot nearly 100% in manual mode. There are very few exceptions that I will switch to AV mode. Why?...because I know I have to be smarter than what the meter is indicating, and all the meter is doing is averaging out all the light it sees in order to get to 18% gray. Sure, it's a guide, but you often don't have the luxury of having a hand held incident light meter with you that typically is far more accurate than the camera's meter which is a reflective meter. Once you know and understand what the in camera meter is showing you relative to what you are seeing and what the subject is, it's very easy to make adjustments by manually bumping up, or down the exposure. Shoot four groomsmen dressed in black tuxedos and leaning against a black limousine and go off the meter and I will most assuredly guarantee that you'll wind up with the suits and the car looking gray and their faces blown out...not good if you happen to be the paid wedding photographer. The opposite example will be a bride dressed in a beautiful white gown and leaning against a white limousine, go off the meter, or non compensated aperture priority, and you'll wind up with a white gown that's now gray, and an underexposed dark face. Simply put, you have to learn to be smarter than the meter!

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

Excellent examples.

BebuLamar

Because for me the manual exposure mode is the easiest one to use among all the modes and the full green Auto that is available on some cameras is the most difficult. But every time I recommend people to use manual mode it seemed that I always got flamed.
When I was 10 year old my father let me used his camera and after about 30 minutes of lecture from him I have no problem using the manual mode. All the aperture, shutter speed, ASA things were quite simple concept for me. I often saw post on the internet about people who got stuck on auto and I really can't understand why.