How to use your first camera?

You just bought a new camera, took it out of the box and you don't know where to start. The multiple buttons on the camera or even the complex instruction manual discourage you? That's why I've created this beginner's guide that will show you the basics of using a camera.

Steps to learn how to use your camera

1: Understanding ISO

2: Shutter Speed

3: Master the different image capture modes

4: Device focus

5: Understanding the depth field (aperture)

6: Understanding the Exposure Triangle

How to use your new camera?

1: Understanding ISO

Let's start with the first item on our list: ISO

ISO is your device's sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive it is to light, but keep in mind that the higher the number, depending on some cameras, grain in the image may appear. Similarly, the lower your ISO level, the more your camera will be insensitive to light. The image will be clear, sharp and without grain.

ISO charter

ISO 100-300: Best setting for sunny days or bright situations with the best possible image quality.

ISO: 400-700: When lighting outside is still sufficient but less bright than a sunny day. There are a few clouds present or it is a little darker. Slightly increasing the sensitivity of the device is your solution.

ISO: 800-1500: For photography situations indoors or when it is dark outside but not so much as if it is would be dark.

ISO: 1600 or higher: For situations where it is dark outdoors or indoors with low light.

2: Shutter speed

Shutter speed is the time your shutter stays open, so the time your sensor is exposed to light.

It's important to master your camera's shutter speed for different types of photography. For example, if your subject is stationary you can use a slow shutter speed and if instead you want to capture an image of a fast moving subject such as a person walking/running or even a racing car in action, a fast shutter speed is the preferred option.

Using too slow a shutter speed on a moving subject will have the effect of seeing it move.

Example of too slow shutter speed for a subject:

Example of a fairly fast shutter speed:

For certain types of photography like blurred motion capture, making use of a shutter speed slower than the movement of your subject is preferred.

Example of blurred motion photography:

Charter of recommendations

Very fast movements (birds in flight/racing car) 1/2000 or more

Sports photography (fast movements: running/cycling/jogging): 1/500 to 1/1000

Street photography (normal movements like walking): 1/250 to 1/500

Landscapes: 1/125 to 1/4 (tripod recommended for this category and all those below)

Blur waterfalls: 1/8 to 2 seconds

Star photography (astrophotography): 15 to 25 seconds

Recommended tripod:

https://amzn.to/3KAUotK

Recommended camera tape:https://amzn.to/40LP4cD

3: Shooting modes

As you can see from the image above, most camera models have a wheel on the left side of the device to change the shooting mode.

1: Automatic

The vast majority of cameras have this shooting mode. In automatic mode, the camera does everything for you except zoom, focus (if you are in manual focus) and take the picture. The device will adjust itself according to the brightness of the scene. Using automatic mode is good for a beginner but it very quickly becomes a waste of time because using this mode does not allow your device to be used to its full capacity. In automatic mode, you cannot change the settings to suit your needs which is not an option for someone who wants full control of their camera and identical results for the purpose of capturing. (It is identified by an "Auto" or a green circle on the mode wheel)

2: Manual

This mode is the opposite of automatic mode, you have control over your entire device at all times. You have to manually change the various camera settings to capture the scene according to your purpose. (It is identified by an "M" on the mode wheel)

3.Scene modes

These modes are similar to auto mode but they all have assigned functions such as motion, portrait, night, landscape and macro photography.

As I said for the auto mode, using these modes can be good for a beginner to get familiar with how a camera works, but there's no point in continuing to use them. to use. It is better to familiarize yourself with the manual mode in all the situations mentioned above to have full control over your camera and thus capture your images with the best possible composition

4: Aperture Priority (Av/A)

In this semi-manual mode, you choose the aperture of the diaphragm (lens) and the camera takes care of the shutter speed. A good option when the depth of the image is more important than all the other parameters.

5: Shutter Speed Priority (Tv/S)

Similar to AV or A mode, this semi-manual mode lets you take care of the camera's shutter speed while it takes care of the lens aperture.

6: Program mode (P)

This mode is almost identical to the automatic mode except that you have the option of programming a schedule for the various parameters. For example: You are going to take pictures of a football match so you need a fast shutter speed so that your images are sharp and clear so you put a scale between 1/500 and 1/1000 for your camera to choose automatically a parameter between these two limits without you having to change the parameters during the game.

4: Device Focus

Getting the subject in focus seems like a simple task to accomplish, but ironically it is often the cause of losing a lot of potentially great photos.

First there are the two main ways to focus: Manually or automatically.

1:Focus automatically

This is the option I prefer to use most of the time, as today's cameras are skilled and smart enough to handle this important task.

2: Focus Manually

This focusing technique is the way originally used with older camera models. There are still advantages to using this technique today. Of course if your autofocus is failing you can always quickly switch to manual mode. Sometimes auto focus does not work on certain shots with older models so doing it manually is the best option with these models. Focusing manually can also be useful during captures where the subject is not moving to be really sure that your subject is clear and sharp.

Different kinds of auto focus

Most cameras have several kinds of automatic focus here are the most used:

1: Single shot (Single shot/AF-S)

Autofocus works when the shutter button is pressed halfway. It focuses on an object and is ideal for objects or landscapes that do not move.

2: Continuous (Continuous/AF-C)

Autofocus operates continuously when the shutter button is pressed halfway. It follows your subject in its movements which is ideal in situations of "street photography" or sports photography (anywhere you have to follow a moving subject)

5: Understanding the aperture of the device.

Aperture (F-stop) is the setting that adjusts the aperture of the lens.

This setting adjusts the depth field of an image. The lower the number, the more the background of the photo will be blurred.

Look at this image for an example

The subject is highlighted while the background is blurred

On the contrary, the higher the number, the more the entire image is highlighted

Look at this landscape as an example

List of recommended openings

Large aperture: F/1.4 to f/4.0

To isolate the subject from the surrounding scene.

Medium aperture: F/4.5 to f/11

To capture the subject and the scene around it slightly blurrier than this.

Small aperture: F/13 to f/22

To capture the subject and the scene without any blurring so that they both stand out.

6: Exposure triangle

The image above (created by DanielOnWay) is a perfect representation of how the exposure triangle works.

Aperture, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity are the three factors that determine the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor. By adjusting these settings, you can control the amount of light that enters the camera and therefore the brightness of the image.

Aperture: As I explained earlier, the lens aperture is the diameter of the diaphragm that allows light to enter the camera. It is expressed in f-numbers, which represent the relationship between the diameter of the aperture and the focal length of the lens. The smaller the f-number, the larger the aperture and the more light can enter. So for low light conditions you can increase the aperture to let in more light and get a brighter image.

Shutter Speed: Again as mentioned earlier, shutter speed determines how long the sensor is exposed to light. It is expressed in seconds or fractions of seconds. The faster the shutter speed, the less light reaches the sensor, because the shutter only stays open for a short time. For example, a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second is faster than a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second. So to capture fast moving subjects, you can increase the shutter speed to prevent motion blur.

The ISO sensitivity: Finally, the ISO sensitivity that I already explained at the beginning of the article.

7. Practice

You have come to the last point and it is also one of the most important: practice!

You can learn all the theory you want on a subject, but nothing beats practice. Take as many pictures as you can, every day you have the opportunity and in all possible situations

(rain/sun/snow/global apocalypse...).

The more experience you have in the field, the more the theory will become automatic.

Time to take action!

Now you know everything you need to have a good foundation in photography and use your camera to its full potential. Now is the time for you to use the information I have just passed on to you.

Thank you for reading next article next week.