On this rainy day, it is an ideal opportunity to pop your camera into manual mode and find out what all those settings do...

There are no right or wrong settings; it depends on what effect you want to achieve.

Perhaps you could borrow an exposure meter to see what it suggests you should do?

I shoot in manual mode for only one reason.

... to learn about exposure.

I want to get the best out of my camera, but if I simply use one of the auto modes, then I'll never really FULLY UNDERSTAND the interplay between shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation.

To aid my understanding, I have been buying old manual lenses, fixing them to my a580, and forcing myself to learn about exposure. Having done this, I can more confidently use the auto modes, yet now how to manipulate other settings to help produce more creative shots.

Other than to learn or be creative, I see no reason for shooting in fully manual mode.

1. Good lighting
2. Good optics

Without lighting there will be no picture to capture.
Without good optics the image will not be sharp.

These are the reasons I'm looking for a better lens than the the kit lens supplied with the camera.

Some are fatter than others, too. Something to be aware of, definitely.

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-high-dynamic-range-hdr-software.htm

I quite liked Picturenaut when I tried it.

That sounds cheap, but is class 6 fast enough? I used class 6 with my Sony A230, and it wasn't fast enough - an occasional blank frame would slip through.

I am now using a SanDisk class 10 16GB card, which is rated at 45Mbs. This is fast enough even for video from my A580.

Hello, and welcome to what is probably the most cosmopolitan photographic forum on the net (Flickr excepted).

I'm also from Kent, but I'm also on the edge of London. The Eurostar used to go past my house before the high speed link was completed.

Well, I saw the title - Sony A65 - and clicked in the hope of reading a comment or question about this camera.

I was disappointed.

@Marco, I agree with you.

@ewmaster5122, yes, some people do use their camera for birding.

In the days when photos were developed then printed, I always preferred matte.

These days I think everything is on gloss.

If I had a choice, I'd go for something in between.

Can you add me, too?

Sony A230 and A580.
Kit lens
Tamron 75-300
M42 Helios 58mm f2.0
M42 28mm f2.8 (on its way)

This is a picture taken with the A230 and the Helios lens.

Helios 58mm M42 mount - totally manual..

As you may know, I come from a video background. I own a range of different video cameras, each for a different purpose.

I have a cheap Samsung that fits in the palm of my hand. It's great for taking quick video of moments that I might otherwise miss. It also fits perfectly on the dash of car so I can film journeys. I would not use this for pro work. In fact, I wouldn't use it for amateur work, either.

I have a Canon HDV camcorder. It shoots superb video and allow me to attach accessories such as a microphone. It's a great little unit, and is the one I use most. Perfect for unobtrusive shooting.

Then there's my pro-sumer Sony HDV camera. A big monster. Does very little more than the Canon, but cost twice as much. This is the beast for more professional-type work. It's big, it's heavy... but it is well balanced, there is a wealth of controls RIGHT AT MY FINGERTIPS that allow me to control every little aspect that could affect the picture quality - gain, aperture, shutter speed, focus, white balance... The canon does these too, but they are not at my finger tips. In some ways this makes the Canon easier to use in that I can't mess up shooting quite as readily as I can with the Sony.

The Sony also have three sensors that are twice the size of the single sensor in the Canon. So low light performance is leagues above the Canon.

So, considering bridge vs DSLR cameras, remember... they are different beasts. They do the same job, but one affords more control than the other.

For different types of user, one may be better than the other. Personally, I have not been impressed with my father in law's bridge camera. The images seem washed out, and they are not particularly crisp. This could well be down to my father in law, though, and not the camera.

Water colour or oil paints... same argument, different medium.

In Picasa you can change the settings so that pictures have their name displayed underneath the thumbnail.

View -> Thumbnail Caption -> Filename

Also, JPEGs will load almost instantly. RAW files may look pixellated for a few moments before displaying correctly. They will also appear to be dull and flat (in my experience).

Display the file info (small (i) icon on the bottom right of the screen) will display the exif info.

Hope this helps.

The 460 will work with your camera. But but BUT...

I is not a TTL flash unit. This means that the intensity for the flash will not automatically adjust according to the exposure detected by the camera. [TTL - Through The Lens]

So there is a risk of either over- or under-exposure if you are not experienced.

I have the 460 which I use with my Sony. I tend to use it as a slave - it fires when my in-built flash fires - and this works pretty well to create some interesting lighting effects, especially used with the diffuser.

Apart from dedicated Sony User forums, I've never encountered so many Sony Users in one place before.

I no longer feel quite so alone!

Given their price, I think Sony DSLRs are superbly specified. I would probably have bought Nikon if I could have afforded it, but I'm so glad I didn't.

The royal family holds no interest for me. My own family is far more important ;-)

The Olympics is being held not too far from my home. Fortunately I will be away when it's all going on. I'm not a sporty person, so I can't be bothered with all the hoo-hah about it.

Both the royal family and the olympics seem like a monumental waste of public money to me.

Plenty of people will disagree, I'm sure! So let's forget about them and discuss photography instead!!

I have a manual 28mm M42 lens on its way. Hopefully it will be here by the weekend and I'll be able to take a few low light shots of the animals in my living room.