Finally bought a decent camera - Any decent guides on how to use it?

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by amazingtrade, Jan 16, 2007.

  1. amazingtrade

    amazingtrade Mad Madchestoh fan

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    At the moment I am doing everything in auto mode as I have no idea what does what, its a lot more complex than the manual options on my Sony camcorder.

    The camera I bought was a Panasonic FZ7 compact/SLR hybrid with an SLR style body.

    I want to be able to use its full manual focus settings in order to get the best results but I have no idea what everything means.

    Edited due to confusion over the model number.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 16, 2007
    amazingtrade, Jan 16, 2007
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  2. amazingtrade

    la toilette Downright stupid

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    la toilette, Jan 16, 2007
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  3. amazingtrade

    MO! MOnkey`ead!

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    The manual might be a start ;)

    Maybe I'm missing something, but I've tried to search for the camera to get an idea what features/controls it has to try and help explain them. When looking for "Panasonic FX7" it doesn't seem to show an SLR hybrid though.

    :confused:
     
    MO!, Jan 16, 2007
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  4. amazingtrade

    MO! MOnkey`ead!

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    MO!, Jan 16, 2007
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  5. amazingtrade

    amazingtrade Mad Madchestoh fan

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    It is not an SLR, it only cost me £215 :). I have the manual but its not very comprehensive, it tells you how to use the features but not really what they do and when you should use them.

    Mine is the FZ-7 not the FX which is just a point and click.

    This is mine

    http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz7/
     
    amazingtrade, Jan 16, 2007
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  6. amazingtrade

    MO! MOnkey`ead!

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    Thought that might have been what you meant.

    The two main things to get to grips with are shutter speed and aperture. From this you will get an understanding of Depth of Field.

    First result in google...

    http://www.primeimages.co.uk/Photography tips/photo tips1.htm

    Also seems to have a bit on ISO too.

    In short. To expose the image, you need to allow enough light to reach the film/sensor. The aMOunt of light passing through to is determined by a combination of shutter speed and aperture size. IIf you half the size of the aperture, you will need to double the shutter speed for the same amount of light to reach the film/sensor. I read something along the lines of thinking of the light as water once. If you have a container of water with a small hole (aperture) in it, it will take longer (shutter speed) for a given aMOunt of water to pass through it (desired exposure). If you double the size of that hole, you will need half the time for the same aMOunt of water to pass through.

    Why would you want to change different shutter and aperture values?

    Shutter speed will allow you to add effect like blur, or to freeze moving objects.

    Aperture will give you control over depth of field (DOF), which is how much of the scene if in focus. Larger apertures (smaller F number) will give smaller DOF. And smaller apertures (larger F numbers) will give greater DOF.

    So depending on what you're shooting, DOF, or shutter may be of MOre importance.

    ISO will also come into it, but shutter and aperture are the two main things to get to grips with for starters.

    I await someone coming along and saying this is all pish, and should approach it differently.
     
    MO!, Jan 16, 2007
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  7. amazingtrade

    MO! MOnkey`ead!

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    ps. enjoy the new camera :)
     
    MO!, Jan 16, 2007
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  8. amazingtrade

    la toilette Downright stupid

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    I have the same camera, takes good pics, and the settings/menu are OK when you get used to them! It's just a shame mine is in the hands of someone who only takes a decent picture by accident, which is why I take loads of pics in the hope that maybe 1 or 2 out of a hundred will be worth keeping! :)
     
    la toilette, Jan 16, 2007
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  9. amazingtrade

    MO! MOnkey`ead!

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    The joy of digital :)

    Precisely the reason I switched over.
     
    MO!, Jan 16, 2007
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  10. amazingtrade

    penance Arrogant Cock

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    Forget manual focus for now.
    As Mo said, concentrate on apeture and exposure.
     
    penance, Jan 16, 2007
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  11. amazingtrade

    mr cat Member of the month

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    yeah, its the one i have - it's a great camera - just get out there and shoot...
     
    mr cat, Jan 16, 2007
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  12. amazingtrade

    midlifecrisis Firm member

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    if you're new to photography then you could do worse than to leave it on the auto modes for a while and concentrate on composition - once you're taking consistently well composed and interesting shots then start playing around with manual overrides, as you'll have a clearer idea of what you want to actually achieve. It's easy to get sucked into 'effects' to the detriment of the actual material. Also, look at lots of photo sites, mags and books to spot shots that you like, then think about how they are composed and what makes them interesting. ;)
     
    midlifecrisis, Jan 17, 2007
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  13. amazingtrade

    robert_cyrus

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    this may be of help - it's about a sony camera, but yours should have similar functions.
    http://www.aakatz.com/whitepaper/
    covers aperture settings etc etc etc.
     
    robert_cyrus, Jan 17, 2007
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  14. amazingtrade

    robs

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    robs, Jan 17, 2007
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  15. amazingtrade

    RobHolt Moderator

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    RobHolt, Jan 19, 2007
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