i really need more practive in this :)

[driveanegg]

Number 2 and number 4 - shutter speed too slow ...
Number 5 - misfocused ....
Number 1 - under-exposed, very shallow DOF, i suspect prob a bit of wind

reading a bit before shooting certainly will help

shoot shoot shoot more !!

 

[ahbian]

from the viewfinder..looks like i got all in focus...man..seems like im suck in this..lol..gonna practice more..

Is there a AF point, for example in the Hotcakes and sausage photo, did you remember which letter(s)/line you were focussing on?

If these are in focus, then maybe its not a calibration issue. But the disclaimer is that its not a standard test.

 

[Octarine]

i googled it n it was suggested dat i shld the ist for calibration? if so where n how much?

Download the focus test charts. Use a tripod, follow the instructions. Post the results for confirmation. Still a good chance for human error instead of technical issue.

 

[enrell]

Is there a AF point, for example in the Hotcakes and sausage photo, did you remember which letter(s)/line you were focussing on?

If these are in focus, then maybe its not a calibration issue. But the disclaimer is that its not a standard test.

i was aiming @ the center line n i was using manual focus. in the viewfinder, all letters were in focused.

 

[madmartian]

Welcome to CS Its good to do some reading up. That'll give you a better understanding to knowing your camera & settings. Also read up on the area you are interested in. try not to do a 'hit n run shot'

 

[baijialong]

You have to learn the basics first. Don't use auto. Use PASM. And learn to read the light meter. If you can't take a good picture with the viewfinder, use the Live View first. You won't be able to take good photos with a DSLR if you don't know how. Nope, you MIGHT not need flash in some situations..

and you can also use some softwares to post-process your photos. Shoot in RAW.

Sorry if I sounded hostile. LOL.

I started learning using "DSLR" from auto 1 year ago and now using manual took me 1year to change to manual though. Learn point by point slowly.

 

[biodiversity]

You will need to get the basic stuff right. Like the exposure. here's a great link: http://www.dslrtips.com/

 

[horizon_grazer]

Since ur knowledge is almost zero, it will do u more good to read up at the library first instead snapping away..

 

[Foxshade]

I'm still new in this field too, but I think I can give some tips on the 1st and 2nd shot of yours (a.k.a shooting flowers)
- Don't shoot down on flowers. If it's low, bend down to it's level.
- Zoom in close, frame it tight. It will show off how it blooms.
- Take care of the background. Make sure there's no distraction. Nice bokeh of leaves or grass due to wide aperture, as long as it creates uniform green will do.
- most of the times, do spot metering on the brightest part of the petal. This will make the background a bit darker (under exposed is the term I think), thus enhance the color of the flower.

Now the cheating part.
Bring a small water bottle which you can spray couple of water droplets to simulate dew!!!

The rest, I think should ask the gurus here.

 

[Diavonex]

TS read manual and check the minimum focusing distant of the lens.

You may have gone too close on the flower shots.

Switch to center-weighted focusing if you have not done so.

 

[wildcat]

there were few nice fotos but its not wat i expected from a dslr camera..mebbe i dint do the settings right?

most of the pictures r quite dark n dint really stands out...seems that i must use the flash to get good pics..most of the pics are taken at iso400

I am not a pro, but picture dark, may not mean need flash. You need flash if you got the correct exposure for the photo, but your shutter speed end up being too slow (i.e. a lot of blur from movements). Blur also can mean different things - movement, or out of focus. Like some have said, some of your pix looks OOF.

For me, it's easiest to start off with Auto photos first. This lets you learn how your camera decides to read a particular situation and change it's setting to see what it thinks you want it to do. Learn from reading EXIF information such as ISO, shutter speed, aperture (f-stop).

Once you know your camera a bit more, then you will know that your camera cannot read your mind. For me, the easiest now is to move to A (Aperture Priority) mode. This lets you set the aperture while the camera decides for you the other settings. Some people prefer P mode (which I totally skipped). After that, maybe move on to S mode and finally M mode, where you are in control of ISO, shutter speed and aperture.

You can also use EV to + and make your pictures brighter. There are a lot of things to read out there if you are interested (library has books also if you don't want to buy) or you can read from the internet. After reading, must try it out on the camera itself. The more you shoot, the better you will know your cam and the better you can control the pictures coming out of your cam.

Once you have control of your camera, you can forget the technicalities (they become a part of you... automatic) and then you can focus on composing a good picture without thinking the unnecessary.

That was how I learnt how to take pictures.. one step at a time. Along the way, I learnt how to use Photoshop, then Silkypix, then Lightroom. How to eat an elephant? One bite at a time Other people may have different route to how they learnt to take photos.

 

[Numnumball]

TS :Suggest you read up more on metering and exposure compensation

 

[ed9119]

is your exposure compensation set at 0 or -x ? looks like everything is at least a stop and a half darker

 

[enrell]

tanx for all the tips.

here are some of my 2nd batch of photographs taken today

 

[enrell]

 

[enrell]

 

[spheredome]

Thanks for bring in this nice scenes. Unfortunately, I would say that the era of this model is over. The vibrancy is just no up to level.

 

[enrell]

Thanks for bring in this nice scenes. Unfortunately, I would say that the era of this model is over. The vibrancy is just no up to level.

true...next step either the kx or a230...