So I recently bought a Nikon D3100. It's my first DSLR. In addition to that somewhat harrowing fact, I'm also a Canon user. So I'm having a bit of trouble with settings and focus and everything.
So if you have ANY tips or suggestions or anything at all to tell me about which settings to use where, it would be greatly appreciated.
@kaleidoscopeyes Well I'm no expert but I would say use aperture priority (A) for things that are static and shutter priority (S) for anything that moves. To start with, I shot moving things like birds with 1/640 in S and depending upon which lens you are using, for a nice DOF, use f5.6 in A. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your DSLR. You will soon progress and be able to use manual settings once you've got used to it. I got my first DSLR in June and I've never looked back!
There's nothing harrowing about a Nikon. You show impeccable taste! As for the setting...well now...
On the Canon you have TV which obviously means you use it to take video...right? Nikon has S for Speed so it takes faster shots
On the Canon you have AV which of course, being a teacher I know means Audio Visual...right? Nikon has A for Aperture
On both cameras you have M for Manual...that means read it first
On the Canon you have C which is obviously for Camera so I guess you use it all the time
Both cameras, Canon and Nikon, use P for Professional mode
And then there's the green button
It can be a little daunting to move from any point and shoot to any DSLR no matter the manufacturer.
To get you started, take a few days and shoot with the Mode Dial set to AUTO, and you should find shooting somewhat like using the P&S, even down to the focus that is handled automatically. You need to get used to the viewfinder rather than "live view" on the LCD if that's how you have shot so far.
Next, you might try out the "Scene Modes." Here you will have to handle the focus yourself, so I suggest that you use the simple "one focus point" mode (the middle is usually the best) and learn to point at the place you want to be the center of focus, hold down the shutter half way to grab focus and then reframe the shot so you can put the focus subject somewhere other than in the center.
Then you can get adventurous and try one of the "pro modes" - probably easiest is A priority where you choose the aperture, and the camera chooses the shutter speed.
Then take your camera off Auto ISO and learn to set the ISO yourself so you can shoot in lower light or very strong light. Then understanding this "triangle of exposure," aperture, shutter and ISO is key to moving forward.
@archaeofrog Try out Katie's blog, it's full of great advice to make you comfortable.
Congratulations on your new DSLR!! Woo Hoo. I went from a Canon Powershot to a Nikon D5100 April 28th 2012. That was the reason I started the camera settings challenges! It was because I wanted to learn how to use the different camera settings.
Here is a link to the challenges - if you try them, even though they are not current you WILL learn. The camera settings challenges are still going on and they cover different levels of understanding. Start with challenge #1 setting aperture. http://365project.org/myhrhelper/365/2011-12-12
@frankhymus@kaleidoscopeyes All good advice above - start in auto, take the modes one step at a time. I HIGHLY recommend getting a camera-specific book. I had a manual-everything SLR in the film days, so I was pretty comfortable with the "exposure triangle" Frank mentions, but I couldn't make heads or tails of the camera menus even with the Nikon user's guide. The darn thing's discontinued now, but I finally thought to see if there was a supplemental book, and yes there is! I got it from Amazon, and made more progress today than I have literally in 5 years.
@therubysusan The Jeff Revell book I mentioned above, in fact the whole series even though I have only read several of the Nikon ones, is very specific to the camera and leads you step by step through the specific sequences and menus. With an end of each chapter exercise list and a web site to share your results with others.
Manuals I find are useful only if you know the jargon and the technology, not much use as learning tools, rather more of a reference guide.
@frankhymus "Manuals I find are useful only if you know the jargon and the technology, not much use as learning tools, rather more of a reference guide. " Amen!
@johnnyfrs Hahaha, that's perfect advice!
I think this camera is fantastic and I'm glad I'm giving it a spin but I truly believe that Canon makes superior cameras.
@kaleidoscopeyes They don't, at least at the medium to high end. At the low P&S end, and in the mirror-less space, yes, I think Nikon has fallen a little short, but then so has Canon, both leaving the space for Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and Olympus.
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On the Canon you have TV which obviously means you use it to take video...right? Nikon has S for Speed so it takes faster shots
On the Canon you have AV which of course, being a teacher I know means Audio Visual...right? Nikon has A for Aperture
On both cameras you have M for Manual...that means read it first
On the Canon you have C which is obviously for Camera so I guess you use it all the time
Both cameras, Canon and Nikon, use P for Professional mode
And then there's the green button
One in particular that might help with your current problems is the "Why Won't My Lens Focus?" post: http://www.boostyourphotography.com/2013/05/why-wont-my-lens-focus.html
To get you started, take a few days and shoot with the Mode Dial set to AUTO, and you should find shooting somewhat like using the P&S, even down to the focus that is handled automatically. You need to get used to the viewfinder rather than "live view" on the LCD if that's how you have shot so far.
Next, you might try out the "Scene Modes." Here you will have to handle the focus yourself, so I suggest that you use the simple "one focus point" mode (the middle is usually the best) and learn to point at the place you want to be the center of focus, hold down the shutter half way to grab focus and then reframe the shot so you can put the focus subject somewhere other than in the center.
Then you can get adventurous and try one of the "pro modes" - probably easiest is A priority where you choose the aperture, and the camera chooses the shutter speed.
Then take your camera off Auto ISO and learn to set the ISO yourself so you can shoot in lower light or very strong light. Then understanding this "triangle of exposure," aperture, shutter and ISO is key to moving forward.
@archaeofrog Try out Katie's blog, it's full of great advice to make you comfortable.
If you prefer to read or learn from books, a very good one for new DSLR users is "Nikon D3100: From Snapshots to Great Shots" by Jeff Revell. You can get it from amazon.com at this URL http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D3100-Snapshots-Great-Shots/dp/0321754549/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384389298&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+d3100+from+snapshots+to+great+shots. It's a very easy read, and full of beautiful examples and great advice to progress along beginning right from the beginning. It's where I got my start.
Good luck!
Here is a link to the challenges - if you try them, even though they are not current you WILL learn. The camera settings challenges are still going on and they cover different levels of understanding. Start with challenge #1 setting aperture.
http://365project.org/myhrhelper/365/2011-12-12
Manuals I find are useful only if you know the jargon and the technology, not much use as learning tools, rather more of a reference guide.
@frankhymus Thank you so much! That's extremely helpful.
@swilde Funny. :) Thanks!
@rosiekind Thank you!!!
Thank you all SO much. This is seriously so helpful.
I think this camera is fantastic and I'm glad I'm giving it a spin but I truly believe that Canon makes superior cameras.