please don't make me have to read the manual

[babycatcher33]

I want to take really great pictures at the parade tomorrow.  It will likely be bright and sunny, so what settings should I have on my camera!  ISO?  f-stop?  I've had the camera for six months and haven't made time to read the manual.  Some of my really bright outdoor shots are washed out and not very saturated lately, how do I fix it!?

Comments

[cakemaven]

I am making the assumption that you are working with the D40 and the 18-55mm kit lens. If you want to just point and shoot, leave the dial turned to "P". ISO should be as low as possible for the conditions. Set it too 100 for a bright sunny day.

To fix the overexposure issues, you'll want to adjust the exposure compensastion, you may want to drop it to -1. Try a few test shots outside with the kids. If they are too dark, try -0.7.

If you want to play with the depth of field and such, turn the dial to "A". For shots where everything is in focus, F11 and up for your f-stop. If you're trying to focus on one thing and isolate, say a person, you'll want to set your f-stop as low as your camera/lens will allow.

I recommend picking up the book Understanding Exposure when you get a chance. It helps explain a lot of the mystery "how-to" of knowing how/when to set what.

[babycatcher33]

Thanks! That helps a lot. Yes, I have the D40 and the kit lense. I can't wait until I can get a bigger lens! Maybe for my birthday...

Do you have the D40 as well?

[cakemaven]

We have the D80 and the D300. Hubby is the big photography buff, so he helped me write my previous response ;)

[singfourever]

put your ISO at 100-200. I would shoot on aperture priority at about f8 or so, then set your screen to 'highlight'. If you get any blinkies, up your shutter speed, then you should be good to go. If any of that is confusing, I can try to clarify.

[babycatcher33]

Thanks! I'll write that down and try it out. I have a book about dSLRs as well as the manual but haven't taken the time to really play with my camera yet.