Not too new to photography but recently started to learn the settings for taking shots in Manual mode: I currently live in Colorado Springs I am David from Colorado Springs, CO. I have...

dllaliberte1945

I currently live in Colorado Springs

I am David from Colorado Springs, CO. I have been a birder since I was 9 years old – very many years ago.

I had always wanted to do photography but the idea of film & darkroom processing did not excite me too much. Even having someone else develop the film was a bit of a bother, especially paying for and not knowing how the images would turnout.

In the mid-1990s, I got my first computer – at the time that was a challenge – I’m fairly good at it now-a-days. In the late 1990s a friend showed me his new Sony Mavica camera and I thought I want to get a digital camera to go along with my computer skills.

In 2001 I got a Sony Mavica FD 95. I took lousy photos for bird images – I never learned what all the buttons were used for. In 2003 another birder showed me her Canon EOS 10D – I decided to get that Canon model. Several months later, when I got it – I always shot in “Auto” mode. My shots of birds & things were a lot better than the Sony Mavica. Several years later I also acquired the Canon 40D & 50D still in “Auto” mode. I once even proposed a new year’s resolution thinking that I needed to learn this Manual mode stuff. That was about 10 years ago but didn’t act upon it. For many years I was hoping and waiting for the Canon EOS 90D to be on the market. Finally I bought one in the fall of 2019, very shortly after it became available – Again I thought that I needed to do the Manual Mode stuff.

The Images that other bird photographers shot were stunning, very sharp & detailed. In 2020 I decided to take the leap into Manual mode. First time in 2020 I turned the mode dial to manual – never turned it back to auto since then. First time I tried it my images were seriously underexposed. Second time several days late I took images that were seriously overexposed.

The first thing I dwelled on was the “Exposure Triangle” & some of its associated settings. What really helped was viewing camera videos & pdf files on the net. I now have the basic tools involved in that aspect. Next I tackled “Back Button Focus” – I now have a rudimentary skill at that. The biggest problem before that was that when I tried to focus lock on the bird - that was either moving or had many surrounding artifacts – branches twig whatever. I just couldn’t lock on to the bird image – the focus kept shifting. “Back Button focus” is now working in that I usually can maintain a lock on the target image. Many of the images are now turning out to be fairly sharp.

This whole process of learning this stuff has been review the videos, trial & error practice over & over again. My overriding goal has been to take tack sharp photos I am finally getting somewhere with it. I am adding little pieces of knowledge as I go through this process of learning this Manual stuff.

I have also acquired a macro lens for taking close-up shots of plants, flowers & insects. I also have a wide angle lens for scenery & panoramas, etc.

jack schade Loc: La Pine Oregon

Welcome to the forum.

Jack

dllaliberte1945

Thank-you - I look forward to joining this forum

Doc Mck Loc: Terrell,Texas

I like my 90D also. I do ranch photography which includes landscapes, cows, birds, deer, other critters, sunsets, etc.. I have other cameras, but, I grab the 90D and the Tamron 18-400, most of the time. I do photos of opportunity.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

dllaliberte1945 wrote:

I currently live in Colorado Springs

I am David from Colorado Springs, CO. I have been a birder since I was 9 years old – very many years ago.

I had always wanted to do photography but the idea of film & darkroom processing did not excite me too much. Even having someone else develop the film was a bit of a bother, especially paying for and not knowing how the images would turnout.

In the mid-1990s, I got my first computer – at the time that was a challenge – I’m fairly good at it now-a-days. In the late 1990s a friend showed me his new Sony Mavica camera and I thought I want to get a digital camera to go along with my computer skills.

In 2001 I got a Sony Mavica FD 95. I took lousy photos for bird images – I never learned what all the buttons were used for. In 2003 another birder showed me her Canon EOS 10D – I decided to get that Canon model. Several months later, when I got it – I always shot in “Auto” mode. My shots of birds & things were a lot better than the Sony Mavica. Several years later I also acquired the Canon 40D & 50D still in “Auto” mode. I once even proposed a new year’s resolution thinking that I needed to learn this Manual mode stuff. That was about 10 years ago but didn’t act upon it. For many years I was hoping and waiting for the Canon EOS 90D to be on the market. Finally I bought one in the fall of 2019, very shortly after it became available – Again I thought that I needed to do the Manual Mode stuff.

The Images that other bird photographers shot were stunning, very sharp & detailed. In 2020 I decided to take the leap into Manual mode. First time in 2020 I turned the mode dial to manual – never turned it back to auto since then. First time I tried it my images were seriously underexposed. Second time several days late I took images that were seriously overexposed.

The first thing I dwelled on was the “Exposure Triangle” & some of its associated settings. What really helped was viewing camera videos & pdf files on the net. I now have the basic tools involved in that aspect. Next I tackled “Back Button Focus” – I now have a rudimentary skill at that. The biggest problem before that was that when I tried to focus lock on the bird - that was either moving or had many surrounding artifacts – branches twig whatever. I just couldn’t lock on to the bird image – the focus kept shifting. “Back Button focus” is now working in that I usually can maintain a lock on the target image. Many of the images are now turning out to be fairly sharp.

This whole process of learning this stuff has been review the videos, trial & error practice over & over again. My overriding goal has been to take tack sharp photos I am finally getting somewhere with it. I am adding little pieces of knowledge as I go through this process of learning this Manual stuff.

I have also acquired a macro lens for taking close-up shots of plants, flowers & insects. I also have a wide angle lens for scenery & panoramas, etc.

I currently live in Colorado Springs br br I am D... (show quote)

Welcome to the UHH.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

dllaliberte1945 wrote:

I currently live in Colorado Springs

I am David from Colorado Springs, CO. I have been a birder since I was 9 years old – very many years ago.

I had always wanted to do photography but the idea of film & darkroom processing did not excite me too much. Even having someone else develop the film was a bit of a bother, especially paying for and not knowing how the images would turnout.

In the mid-1990s, I got my first computer – at the time that was a challenge – I’m fairly good at it now-a-days. In the late 1990s a friend showed me his new Sony Mavica camera and I thought I want to get a digital camera to go along with my computer skills.

In 2001 I got a Sony Mavica FD 95. I took lousy photos for bird images – I never learned what all the buttons were used for. In 2003 another birder showed me her Canon EOS 10D – I decided to get that Canon model. Several months later, when I got it – I always shot in “Auto” mode. My shots of birds & things were a lot better than the Sony Mavica. Several years later I also acquired the Canon 40D & 50D still in “Auto” mode. I once even proposed a new year’s resolution thinking that I needed to learn this Manual mode stuff. That was about 10 years ago but didn’t act upon it. For many years I was hoping and waiting for the Canon EOS 90D to be on the market. Finally I bought one in the fall of 2019, very shortly after it became available – Again I thought that I needed to do the Manual Mode stuff.

The Images that other bird photographers shot were stunning, very sharp & detailed. In 2020 I decided to take the leap into Manual mode. First time in 2020 I turned the mode dial to manual – never turned it back to auto since then. First time I tried it my images were seriously underexposed. Second time several days late I took images that were seriously overexposed.

The first thing I dwelled on was the “Exposure Triangle” & some of its associated settings. What really helped was viewing camera videos & pdf files on the net. I now have the basic tools involved in that aspect. Next I tackled “Back Button Focus” – I now have a rudimentary skill at that. The biggest problem before that was that when I tried to focus lock on the bird - that was either moving or had many surrounding artifacts – branches twig whatever. I just couldn’t lock on to the bird image – the focus kept shifting. “Back Button focus” is now working in that I usually can maintain a lock on the target image. Many of the images are now turning out to be fairly sharp.

This whole process of learning this stuff has been review the videos, trial & error practice over & over again. My overriding goal has been to take tack sharp photos I am finally getting somewhere with it. I am adding little pieces of knowledge as I go through this process of learning this Manual stuff.

I have also acquired a macro lens for taking close-up shots of plants, flowers & insects. I also have a wide angle lens for scenery & panoramas, etc.

I currently live in Colorado Springs br br I am D... (show quote)

Welcome to the UHH. Don't feel you have to use Manual settings. Before you use Manual settings you must learn how to use the exposure meter built into your camera. You use that to determine the setting for the exposure triangle. You might want to try the P or Program Mode before jumping from Auto to Manual. I learned photography back in the film days with a manual camera with only a meter. So the transition to digital was not all that difficult for me. I never use Full Auto AE and AF. But I mainly shoot AF or MF, and use Aperture Priority, and occasionally Manual or Shutter Priority when needed. Most of the other modes I never use. Yes, many other photographers do use the other modes. Ironically today I had a rather strange situation where I was taking a photo micrograph using my microscope and a digital camera. I had to think about it a bit as all I had to adjust was ISO and shutter speed as there were no f-stops or even a camera lens as I was using the objective lens of the microscope. That has a single fixed aperture, whatever it was. I found after a few test shots that I could get an OK exposure at ISO 1000 @ 1/2 Sec. For this project I had to use everything on Manual! Don't actually try to fully understand what I did, as it will likely confuse you. But just know that even an experienced photographer can face a learning curve too. The scope was hard to set up as well.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Welcome to the Hog & enjoy!

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Manual is pretty much where my camera stays. After a while, it becomes second nature and you will become very comfortable.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Welcome to the forum.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

dllaliberte1945 wrote:

I currently live in Colorado Springs

I am David from Colorado Springs, CO. I have been a birder since I was 9 years old – very many years ago.

I had always wanted to do photography but the idea of film & darkroom processing did not excite me too much. Even having someone else develop the film was a bit of a bother, especially paying for and not knowing how the images would turnout.

In the mid-1990s, I got my first computer – at the time that was a challenge – I’m fairly good at it now-a-days. In the late 1990s a friend showed me his new Sony Mavica camera and I thought I want to get a digital camera to go along with my computer skills.

In 2001 I got a Sony Mavica FD 95. I took lousy photos for bird images – I never learned what all the buttons were used for. In 2003 another birder showed me her Canon EOS 10D – I decided to get that Canon model. Several months later, when I got it – I always shot in “Auto” mode. My shots of birds & things were a lot better than the Sony Mavica. Several years later I also acquired the Canon 40D & 50D still in “Auto” mode. I once even proposed a new year’s resolution thinking that I needed to learn this Manual mode stuff. That was about 10 years ago but didn’t act upon it. For many years I was hoping and waiting for the Canon EOS 90D to be on the market. Finally I bought one in the fall of 2019, very shortly after it became available – Again I thought that I needed to do the Manual Mode stuff.

The Images that other bird photographers shot were stunning, very sharp & detailed. In 2020 I decided to take the leap into Manual mode. First time in 2020 I turned the mode dial to manual – never turned it back to auto since then. First time I tried it my images were seriously underexposed. Second time several days late I took images that were seriously overexposed.

The first thing I dwelled on was the “Exposure Triangle” & some of its associated settings. What really helped was viewing camera videos & pdf files on the net. I now have the basic tools involved in that aspect. Next I tackled “Back Button Focus” – I now have a rudimentary skill at that. The biggest problem before that was that when I tried to focus lock on the bird - that was either moving or had many surrounding artifacts – branches twig whatever. I just couldn’t lock on to the bird image – the focus kept shifting. “Back Button focus” is now working in that I usually can maintain a lock on the target image. Many of the images are now turning out to be fairly sharp.

This whole process of learning this stuff has been review the videos, trial & error practice over & over again. My overriding goal has been to take tack sharp photos I am finally getting somewhere with it. I am adding little pieces of knowledge as I go through this process of learning this Manual stuff.

I have also acquired a macro lens for taking close-up shots of plants, flowers & insects. I also have a wide angle lens for scenery & panoramas, etc.

I currently live in Colorado Springs br br I am D... (show quote)

Welcome Home! You're on your early, first steps in a maddening journey through a very interesting hobby, vocation, career, etc, etc. In the swimming pool of life you can dip your toe into photography or you can dive in and drown! Whichever degree of participation you chose can lead to rewarding results. Unlearn your nightmare of the Mavica, it was legal trash, and very short-lived. Sony is now are planning on entering the automotive market soon. They make great television sets and they should stick to what they know. Your opening sentence shows you are serious and are applying the basics first. There are many good video training courses available. Personally, Jon Greengo at the "creativelive.com" is an instructor with whom I could relate, and learn. He and his courses are informative, clear, and concise. He also does a course for each of the more popular camera models the market. He covers the entire camera! You've acquired a very good piece of equipment, now Greengo can show you how every feature is designed to be operated. This is a great learning tool as you purchase the course and can always come back to it for a re-fresher His course on general photography is excellent, long but very inclusive. Wonderful source of guidance in the untamed world of photography. Good luck to you.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Welcome to our forum!

BurghByrd Loc: Pittsburgh

Welcome to the forum. Nobody starts with knowledge; it must be accumulated and digital does make it much easier becuase the feed back is practically instantaneous. Your use of manual mode to better understand the exposure triangle makes sence, many use it to maintain fuller control over the camera. I hope you enjoy the journey and find the forum useful.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Welcome. Post and have fun.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

dllaliberte1945 wrote:

I currently live in Colorado Springs

I am David from Colorado Springs, CO. I have been a birder since I was 9 years old – very many years ago.

I had always wanted to do photography but the idea of film & darkroom processing did not excite me too much. Even having someone else develop the film was a bit of a bother, especially paying for and not knowing how the images would turnout.

In the mid-1990s, I got my first computer – at the time that was a challenge – I’m fairly good at it now-a-days. In the late 1990s a friend showed me his new Sony Mavica camera and I thought I want to get a digital camera to go along with my computer skills.

In 2001 I got a Sony Mavica FD 95. I took lousy photos for bird images – I never learned what all the buttons were used for. In 2003 another birder showed me her Canon EOS 10D – I decided to get that Canon model. Several months later, when I got it – I always shot in “Auto” mode. My shots of birds & things were a lot better than the Sony Mavica. Several years later I also acquired the Canon 40D & 50D still in “Auto” mode. I once even proposed a new year’s resolution thinking that I needed to learn this Manual mode stuff. That was about 10 years ago but didn’t act upon it. For many years I was hoping and waiting for the Canon EOS 90D to be on the market. Finally I bought one in the fall of 2019, very shortly after it became available – Again I thought that I needed to do the Manual Mode stuff.

The Images that other bird photographers shot were stunning, very sharp & detailed. In 2020 I decided to take the leap into Manual mode. First time in 2020 I turned the mode dial to manual – never turned it back to auto since then. First time I tried it my images were seriously underexposed. Second time several days late I took images that were seriously overexposed.

The first thing I dwelled on was the “Exposure Triangle” & some of its associated settings. What really helped was viewing camera videos & pdf files on the net. I now have the basic tools involved in that aspect. Next I tackled “Back Button Focus” – I now have a rudimentary skill at that. The biggest problem before that was that when I tried to focus lock on the bird - that was either moving or had many surrounding artifacts – branches twig whatever. I just couldn’t lock on to the bird image – the focus kept shifting. “Back Button focus” is now working in that I usually can maintain a lock on the target image. Many of the images are now turning out to be fairly sharp.

This whole process of learning this stuff has been review the videos, trial & error practice over & over again. My overriding goal has been to take tack sharp photos I am finally getting somewhere with it. I am adding little pieces of knowledge as I go through this process of learning this Manual stuff.

I have also acquired a macro lens for taking close-up shots of plants, flowers & insects. I also have a wide angle lens for scenery & panoramas, etc.

I currently live in Colorado Springs br br I am D... (show quote)

I too started photography when I was young, although not as young as you. My first digital camera was also a Sony Mavica, a CD-300, followed by a Canon 10D. I still have both cameras and they still work. Over the years I acquired all the XXD models except the 77D. My go to crop frame camera is my 90D. I'm not a big fan of using manual mode all the time. I use manual from time to time, but I prefer the semi-auto modes. I see no badge of honor in shooting manual all the time.

TimHGuitar Loc: San Francisco, CA

Cool. Feel free to upload your pics.