For beginners, M or AUTO?
Sep 21, 2022 13:21:50 #
gvarner wrote:
I taught my daughters to drive with a stick shift. They had no problem transitioning to an automatic and they can easily drive both. My granddaughter learned how to drive with an automatic. She never got the hang of it when I tried to teach her how to drive a stick shift. I see a lesson here for those who want to teach a newbie.
Stick vehicles are not common today.
The first thing that must teach is the joy and fun of taking photos to a beginner.
P mode is what would serve well.
Then if different lenses are available let them explore what a true telephoto lens can do or an ultrawide.
But first instill the fun of using something besides a cellphone.
The triangle or manual whatever can come if they ask a question that might be relevant to that. Getting tied up into the weeds is the quickest way to destroy any desire to ever pickup an ILC ever again.
Sep 21, 2022 13:23:45 #
rmalarz wrote:
There are far better ways of expressing relationships of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO than using a triangle.
--Bob
--Bob
Agreed! When you add lighting and ND filters, does it become a pentagon?
Sep 21, 2022 13:28:31 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
When the Auto photographer asks for the first time... (show quote)
Nailed it. Just what I suggest to many of my tour guests almost every day.
Sep 21, 2022 13:29:52 #
User ID wrote:
Like the balance of hot sauce and molasses in the banana bread.
There is no such triangle anywaze. Its a seesaw with shutter and aperture riding it and ISO at the fulcrum.
There is no such triangle anywaze. Its a seesaw with shutter and aperture riding it and ISO at the fulcrum.
Hot Sauce in banana bread? I don't think so.
Sep 21, 2022 13:32:32 #
CamB wrote:
Newbies don’t get interested in photography and cameras because they are dying to understand the exposure triangle. I think they are thinking art and vision. Starting with some form of auto is fine. They will learn the rest as their interest grows.
…Cam.
…Cam.
This.
Sep 21, 2022 13:35:26 #
I'm teaching my wife right now...she's on Auto and happy, but I'm pushing her to AV soon as she's intrigued by depth of field. She has a good eye so hopefully I'm going the right direction.
Sep 21, 2022 13:37:50 #
Speaking from recent experience, a friend of mine who is new to photography was bugging me for help. I finally relented and agreed to help. I suggested putting the camera on manual and then explained aperture settings, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, depth of field, etc. He quickly became confused and bored, then put the camera on Automatic, went out and started taking photos, and left me alone. Problem solved!
Sep 21, 2022 13:38:01 #
SteveInConverse wrote:
I'm teaching my wife right now...she's on Auto and happy, but I'm pushing her to AV soon as she's intrigued by depth of field. She has a good eye so hopefully I'm going the right direction.
Selective focus goes hand in hand with depth of field. My experience is just setting a single off-center AF is enough for the camera to 'know' to pick a more artistic aperture setting in (P)ro.
Sep 21, 2022 14:04:55 #
therwol
Loc: USA
CHG_CANON wrote:
The math of a beautiful image is easy: it has twice the megapixels of your current sensor and didn't involve a mirror. The exposure mode is not a variable in this equation. These facts are the most important ideas for a newbie to learn.
This is one instance where I hope everyone knows that you're joking. Oh, you forgot that the camera has to be a Canon.
Sep 21, 2022 14:10:25 #
therwol wrote:
This is one instance where I hope everyone knows that you're joking. Oh, you forgot that the camera has to be a Canon.
Am I joking?
Sep 21, 2022 14:11:41 #
Sep 21, 2022 14:27:09 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
Selective focus goes hand in hand with depth of field. My experience is just setting a single off-center AF is enough for the camera to 'know' to pick a more artistic aperture setting in (P)ro.
I like that idea! Novel. Thanks!
Sep 21, 2022 14:40:14 #
therwol wrote:
This is one instance where I hope everyone knows that you're joking. Oh, you forgot that the camera has to be a Canon.
My last film camera - a Canon EOS Elan - had a facility for which I could pick two points, and then it would pick an aperture that would keep both of them in focus.
Sep 21, 2022 14:51:58 #
CamB wrote:
Hot Sauce in banana bread? I don't think so.
No accounting for taste, or the lack of it.
Sep 21, 2022 14:54:51 #
Blenheim Orange wrote:
Speaking from recent experience, a friend of mine who is new to photography was bugging me for help. I finally relented and agreed to help. I suggested putting the camera on manual and then explained aperture settings, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, depth of field, etc. He quickly became confused and bored, then put the camera on Automatic, went out and started taking photos, and left me alone. Problem solved!
Manual is not in and of itself confusing. But you just confessed to intentionally making it confusing right from the gitgo.
Acoarst its not just you. Nearly example posted in UHH of how to teach noobies is fatally flawed, whether starting out with manual or automatic.
That fatal flaw is the intention of getting really good results immediately or much too soon. The flawed "lessons" prioritize success over learning.
Lesson One: Set ISO 1600, 1/1000 sec, and f/16. Shoot stuff and review results. If possible set menu to allow only whole stop increments for all three settings.
Lesson Two: Listen to the student.
Lesson Three: Never discuss DoF.
Lesson Four: See Lesson One. Wash, rinse, repeat.
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