Yup, me again. I know I ask approximately 10 million questions, but I've been researching the lens, which I'm expecting in 5 days or so. I've seen people talking about how you have to adjust the aperture in the camera, and I was just wondering if you guys have any personal experience and could give me some pointers on how to do that. The reviews mentioned doing it in P or M modes.
I'm just trying to learn a few things ahead of time in theory, so I can have an idea of what to do when I get it. :"D
I have a D5100, so I think I can answer your question....
In manual mode, you adjust aperture by holding down that little +/- button on the top of the camera while you simultaneously rotate the dial button that is on the right/back side of the camera. (Otherwise, if you're just moving the dial button, without holding down the +/- button, then you'll be changing your shutter speed instead of your aperture).
In Aperture mode, you can just rotate that same dial but this time without holding down the +/- button. In this mode, the camera is automatically adjusting shutter speed while you adjust the aperture. I think you still have to adjust ISO yourself, but I'm not 100% certain on that.
I don't ever use Program mode, so I'm not sure on it, either.
It's so personal. @rockinrobyn says he never uses P-mode. For me P(anic)-mode is the default. And when half pressing the shutter button I scroll through to select the best Aperture/Time. Just when I make a series with all the same Aperture or Time setting, I switch to A/T. This way, I avoid the situation that I forget to reset the A/T. Besides, when using flash, it's rather tricky to use A or T. But main lesson: just make yourself familiair with all settings and choose the way that works best for you!
@rockinrobyn thank you so much! I probably never would have made that connection, when I read that I played with it to check it out, and I realized I had paid no attention to the +/- button. :'D
@djepie I haven't played with P mode yet, I mainly stay on M. A newbie question, but what's the main difference between P mode and M?
@paign M (Manual) gives you the most control. You have to set (or, depending on your outlook, you GET to set) the ISO, the shutter speed and the aperture. Changing one setting will not cause the camera to change any of the other settings on its own, so you really have to think about how those three settings affect each other and adjust them all accordingly (as needed). If you're lowering your f stop to decrease the depth of field, you're probably going to have to quicken your shutter speed or lower your ISO to make sure you're not overflowing the picture with light, for example.
On the other end of the spectrum, and aside from the auto setting, P (Program) gives you the least amount of control. You can rotate the dial to adjust your settings, but the camera will automatically adjust all settings to maintain balance.
@rockinrobyn: Ahhh, okay. I kind of like having control [even though I have no idea what I'm doing] it's fun to learn through trial and error. I will admit, that it's a little frustrating when I have to adjust my shutter speed, because I flood my pictures. It certainly takes a lot of paying attention.
If you only want to change your aperture and have the camera automatically change the shutter speed for you then use Aperture Priority mode - means you are just altering one dial to start with.
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In manual mode, you adjust aperture by holding down that little +/- button on the top of the camera while you simultaneously rotate the dial button that is on the right/back side of the camera. (Otherwise, if you're just moving the dial button, without holding down the +/- button, then you'll be changing your shutter speed instead of your aperture).
In Aperture mode, you can just rotate that same dial but this time without holding down the +/- button. In this mode, the camera is automatically adjusting shutter speed while you adjust the aperture. I think you still have to adjust ISO yourself, but I'm not 100% certain on that.
I don't ever use Program mode, so I'm not sure on it, either.
Hope this is what you meant.
@djepie I haven't played with P mode yet, I mainly stay on M. A newbie question, but what's the main difference between P mode and M?
On the other end of the spectrum, and aside from the auto setting, P (Program) gives you the least amount of control. You can rotate the dial to adjust your settings, but the camera will automatically adjust all settings to maintain balance.