Just Purchased a Rebel XTI "need suggestions"

W

war_child

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 21, 2001
Messages
307
Its my first DSLR (take it easy on me) and all I have to say is wow. I'm overwhelmed with the amount of controls and various settings. The camera really makes me feel dumb in more than one way. Was wondering if anyone could point me to some good articles that describe the below in addition to when/how to use them:

* ISO Speed
* Shutter Speed
* Aperture
* Metering Mode
* Exposer Compansation

Sorry if they're really simple questions.

Is there a good (noob) setting I should start with while learning the camera (e.g P,Tv,Av,M,A-DEP). My ultimate goal is to get to the M (Manual) as soon as possible. I'm just having a hard time understanding the settings and how they line up with one another.
 
nice, I have the same camera. Most people will tell you to invest in your glass (lens). If you already got the kit lens, we'll forgive ya ;)

check this site out http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

it's a forums based on Canon photography. There is so much to keep you occupied there. When I'm lazy I just use Tv. It allows me to set the ISO and it will automatically calculate the shutter speed for the correct amount of light.

btw your manual has everything covered as well :)
 
MaoKhan said:
nice, I have the same camera. Most people will tell you to invest in your glass (lens). If you already got the kit lens, we'll forgive ya ;)

check this site out http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

it's a forums based on Canon photography. There is so much to keep you occupied there. When I'm lazy I just use Tv. It allows me to set the ISO and it will automatically calculate the shutter speed for the correct amount of light.

btw your manual has everything covered as well :)
Click to expand...

Thanks a bunch for the link I'll get to reading, yes I did get the kit lens...things started to get expensive really fast so I had to go with the kit. Hopefully it should get me going though.

Thanks
 
I often kept this little cheat sheet with me, actually I still do. It kind of sums up how adjusting ISO, aperture and shutter speed affect the exposure. It's not really a guide of what to set, just gets your brain thinking in the right direction. I take no credit for it, I tried to find where I originally downloaded it from, but couldn't.

BTW, hope you like your XTi, I have one myself and love it. Don't worry too much about getting new lenses right away, you can take some really nice shots with just the kit lens once you learn how to set everything properly, though, it is inevitable that you will be back soon asking what lens to buy :D.

 
war_child said:
Is there a good (noob) setting I should start with while learning the camera (e.g P,Tv,Av,M,A-DEP). My ultimate goal is to get to the M (Manual) as soon as possible. I'm just having a hard time understanding the settings and how they line up with one another.
Click to expand...

I would start in Program (P). This mode automatically calculates everything for you -- like the basic modes -- but allows you to override specific settings if you so choose. As you get more comfortable with the settings and what they do, you can move on to other creative zone modes. The vast majority of my shots are taken in Aperture Priority (Av), which allows me to set the aperture and then calculates the necessary shutter speed for proper exposure. I switch to manual when doing long exposures, using the flash (except fill), or if the camera just isn't getting it right.
 
Congrats on the great purchase! If you are ever in the market for a great lens under $100 make sure to check out the 50mm f/1.8 II from canon, its great for low light photography when you can't use a flash

The mode I use most often on my Rebel XT is "AV". This mode lets you pick the Aperture (f-stop) and the camera will choose the right shutter speed based on how much light is available.

Lower f/stop numbers mean that more light is entering the camera (for example f/1.8 offers a bigger aperture (opening) than f/11 thus more light gets through)

Higher ISO increases the sensitivity of the sensor, so if you are shooting something in a dark place (concert, performance etc) you will want to use a higher ISO (like 1600), however there is a cost associated with high iso shooting... noise (or "grain" if you are used to film photography)

Shutter speed is the last way to thing about controlling exposure, long shutter speeds are great for shots at night, but you will want to use a tripod to keep the camera steady, otherwise your shots will be very blurry.

A good rule of thumb for hand-holding your camera is to take the focal length of your lens and and put a 1 over it (18mm lens = 1/18) and don't use a shutter speed that is slower than that number (1/18th, but 1/18th is not a common shutter speed, so round it to 1/20th or 1/25th)

for a long (telephoto) lens this rule works great, i do alot of shooting with a 300mm lens, so I try to always have a shutter speed of 1/300 or faster if I plan on handholding my camera.

When you start shooting with long lenses you have to be extra careful because they magnify any movement, so a slight movement by your hand can cause the entire shot to be blurry

Happy shooting!
 
Great purchase! I too just bought an XTi with the kit lens about 2 weeks ago and I am very happy with it so far. My wife naturally just keeps it in auto mode and uses it as a glorified point and shoot with the kids, but I have found myself finally getting comfortable with using full manual... I typically just use the Av (Aperture Priority) and shoot in raw. I took some 15 second exposures outside last night and they looked great! I was surprised how well they came out for my first time experimenting.

I was kinda surprised that the camera won't shoot in RAW in the auto modes (my friends nikon d70 does), but the manual modes are pretty easy to get the hang of.

That link that someone posted above is a great resource for learning and getting critiques on pictures you take. I love photography... I just wish it wasn't so dang expensive:)
 
Thank you everyone for all the help, all the links and suggestions have really helped out a lot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top