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| New to SLR's - D3300Nikon D3300 | Rate Topic |
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| Posted by Maurice: Fri Aug 7th, 2015 02:48 | 1st Post |
| Hi I've signed up and just started with DSLR's. I recently purchased a D3300 and already own a Canon SX50. I've learnt quite a bit from my Canon but it's taking a while to get used to the SLR and that's why I'm here and hoping to get some useful advice. I was a bit spoiled, I guess, with the way I was able to change settings in live view through the viewfinder on the Canon and actually see the changes as they happen. With the D3300, from I can gather, is you have to change settings with the monitor and wait and see the results. I'm finding it difficult to access and change settings such a aperture, shutter speed, ISO and just about everything else. I prefer written tutorials to videos because the videos chew up all my download allowance but a lot of the tutorials don't seem to be written in a manner that's easy to comprehend. I really love this camera and have already taken some pretty nice shots in Auto. Better resolution was what I was after and the signs are definitely there. I just need some help accessing it, if there's anybody out there willing to give me a hand, please? Maurice. 
____________________ Maurice |
| Posted by jk: Fri Aug 7th, 2015 02:59 | 2nd Post |
| Welcome to the forum Maurice. I think the D3300 manual will help you as an initial starter. The manual should be either on the CD that came with the camera otherwise it is downloadable from the Nikon site. If you dont understand stuff then if you ask here with reference to the words in the manual then I'm sure we will be able to help you.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by amazing50: Fri Aug 7th, 2015 12:35 | 3rd Post |
| Welcome Maurice;~) What lens(s) do you have to work with?
____________________ There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept ;~) Mike Grace |
| Posted by Maurice: Mon Aug 10th, 2015 03:16 | 4th Post |
| Thanks for your reply Jonathon, it's good to know there's help out there. I have read some of the manual and yes some of the reference's are a bit hard to follow with my lack of experience. The camera is so much different from my bridge Canon SX50 that I currently own. The Nikon seems to be more complicated and not as easy to use? I've been looking at Ken Rockwell's website. He's somewhat fixed in his opinions but he gives away a lot of useful information.
____________________ Maurice |
| Posted by Maurice: Mon Aug 10th, 2015 03:28 | 5th Post |
| Hi Mike, thanks very much for your reply. I have the 18-55 mm lens which comes with the kit. I just wanted something to get an alternative camera experience and as I progress if things work out I'll go for something else, another lens I mean, be it better quality or more zoom. I'm still trying to get my head around how to use the thing as opposed to a bridge camera, a lot more complicated it seems to me? Cheers
____________________ Maurice |
| Posted by Eric: Mon Aug 10th, 2015 18:27 | 6th Post |
| Welcome Maurice Can I turn your enquiry around and ask some questions of you? Do you understand what the camera aperture is and how it influences the image? Similarly do you know why a specific shutter speed is chosen? And finally what role the ISO plays? I am trying to establish your grasp of the rudiments of photography because without knowing this, it's difficult to pitch any help correctly. Often people upgrade to DSLRs because they think they will get 'better' images. The truth is they only get better pictures by improving their photographic skill...which can be done on ANY camera. A DSLR gives more ready access to manual or semi manual controls. But unless you know WHY you are making that setting, it may just result in a worse image than auto mode. I use Aperture priority mode to control depth of field. I use Shutter priority mode to freeze or blur subject movement. I vary ISO to get the right exposure at the aperture and shutter speed of my choice. It's as simple as that. Of course you need to consider focusing and composition as well, but that's more about your eye and artistic objective. What I say to many people is ....take a good look at your current photos and decide what is wrong with them ...how they might look better TO YOU. Then it's a matter of finding how to make that change. So maybe you should post an image and tell us why you don't think it's acceptable and how you would like to improve it?
____________________ Eric |
| Posted by jk: Tue Aug 11th, 2015 06:35 | 7th Post |
| That is so correct Eric. Better camera allows easier access to the controls but doesnt improve your images. There are many photographers who in my opinion are taking pictures that are 'better' than mine with less good kit. However I invest in technology/camera kit to allow me to take pictures of anything I chose to, under any conditions. Sometimes we are limited by the equipment but more often by our ability and eye/imagination and opportunity. This is an important factor that people frequently miss.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by Maurice: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 03:01 | 8th Post |
| Thanks Eric very much for your time. I agree with you about the skills of the photographer re the quality of the picture. I've been shooting with a "bridge" for a number of years now and currently own the Canon SX50. I don't know whether you're familiar with it but it's capable of taking some pretty nice pictures. It has the P,S,A and M modes so I'm quite familiar with in fact I use or did use the manual setting quite a lot. During the years I've been using a digital I've always wanted to try using a DSLR but circumstances haven't given me the opportunity to do so and now I have my own Nikon D3300. I've seen some very very good pictures on the web which I think non DSLR cameras would be trying hard to achieve although with the some of the new "system" camera's they're coming pretty close. I'm really looking for the size and resolution so I can process them (crop etc) without losing too much of the original quality.. The biggest thing I have a problem the moment with the Nikon is actually taking a photo in the different modes the camera has to offer. Going back and forth between the view finder and the LCD display is proving to be difficult, the fact that my eyes aren't what they used to be doesn't help there either. With the EVF on my Canon everything was there, I could do any adjustments and see it live as it was happening. That's a pretty hard thing to loose. A simple step by step piece of advice on how you manage all those settings that appear on the rear monitor when I take a picture would be nice. I can find them alright and can just about navigate through them all but applying them to my picture seems to be a bit tricky. I'm afraid I've been spoilt by my bridge camera and it's ease of use as a result of the EVF. I've attached a few of my Canon photos if you care to look. My Nikon photos are only practice one's taken in Auto mode so far. Attachment: Feb 18th (5).JPG (Downloaded 22 times)
____________________ Maurice |
| Posted by Eric: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 04:33 | 9th Post |
| Nice bird shot, Maurice. You have achieved one key thing that many people fail to do....shoot a bird with TWO eyes. Too often you see shots of wildlife with them looking away so you only see one eye. I think I would ask WHY do you need to keep looking between the viewfinder and the LCD? Its stating the obvious I know to say, in the old FILM days we never had an LCD ....and managed ok. I personally, rarely look at the rear screen apart from a confirmation I got the shot. I preset my camera to settings that I believe from experience will be adequate for the subject and lighting. The beauty of digital is the ability to change 'film ASA' without stopping film rolls. And with the newer cameras you be an effortlessly use mega high ISO to help with setting selection. So for example, without seeing the actual lighting conditions of your birdshot, I would usually set my camera for that sort of shot to that assure me of fast enough shutter speed to freeze those bird twitches (1/800) and say f8 depending on the focal length I was using. I would set it to shutter priority and then IF the aperture I needed wasn't possible I would raise the ISO till I got it. I would check the viewfinder display as I shoot to ensure lighting hasn't changed....and occasionally look at the histogram on the LCD. If I am unsure if the settings will expose precisely ( ie white bird or black bird in same setting), I use the EX Comp button to make a 0.3/0.7/1 stop adjustment. I don't know if this is a feature of your model, but one great thing on my camera model is the ability to set Manual mode but still retain auto exposure adjustment through ISO. So I set my camera to Auto ISO and shooting mode to Manual. I then set the shutter speed I WANT and the aperture I WANT independent of exposure needs .....and let the auto ISO get the exposure right. you still have the ability to tweak the Exp Comp if the subject changes as mentioned above. Hope that makes sense? By shooting in this manner you take control of the settings choice and therefore don't need to keep checking what the camera is doing.
____________________ Eric |
| Posted by jk: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 11:58 | 10th Post |
| Nice picture Maurice. Those birds are really wary and scare really easy. When I was in Australia in 2008 I spent a while taking pictures of them but they were very difficult.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
| Posted by richw: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 20:15 | 11th Post |
| Hi Maurice, nice to have another Aussie join the group. I think Eric is spot on, set the camera up for the effect you want i.e. with bird, quite a fast shutter speed and small enough aperture to give you a bit of depth of field to play with. Adjust the ISO to suite and keep checking the histogram for exposure (I often get taken in the moment of shooting and forget this last bit - only to find the camera is in bracket mode or something similar). Good thing about the newer cameras is the higher ISO values are good enough quality to push it much further than was possible a few years ago. For even more latitude shoot in Raw and use Lightroom or Photoshop to fix exposure errors (within reason), having said this if you are confident in getting it right there is no reason not to use Jpg these day.
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| Posted by Maurice: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 20:30 | 12th Post |
| I guess I'll just have to push ahead with getting used to the DSLR. The dedicated users of these camera's don't seem to understand how an EVF simplifies composure of your shot so much. So it's not a live view so what? You get a pretty good imitation of what your subject looks like and you have a very good idea of what the picture is going to turn out like, almost like cheating. It can also be very handy when taking pictures of wild life where you don't have too much time to think. I bought my DSLR because of the possibilities of achieving a better quality picture with the much larger sensor and megapixels (perhaps), and better quality lens (maybe). Hopefully it will happen eventually.
____________________ Maurice |
| Posted by Maurice: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 20:38 | 13th Post |
| Thanks again Eric, you obviously have a wealth of experience when you comment on the days of film. I still have a way to go with getting used to this "foreign" camera and how it works as opposed to the one (the Canon SX50) that I am so used to using.
____________________ Maurice |
| Posted by Maurice: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 20:43 | 14th Post |
| It's a new Holland Honeyeater. Very quick little birds. That's where my SX50 came in handy. I've still got a way to go before I can afford the right sort of equipment to take the equivalent of a 50x zoom with top quality pictures.
____________________ Maurice |
| Posted by Maurice: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 20:54 | 15th Post |
| Hi richw I'm just a casual shooter and I've managed to get some delightful shots over the years using a bridge camera with a super zoom. It's very much dependant on good light conditions and having a smaller sensor you don't have much to play with size wise as a result. As I've said I bought my DSLR because I've always wanted one to "play" with. It's just a D3300 with the 18-55mm lens kit. To me it's a lot more limited compared to my Canon SX50 but hopefully has the possibility to take much better photos within it's range.
____________________ Maurice |
| Posted by richw: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 21:35 | 16th Post |
| I'm sure as you get used to it you'll find you come to prefer it - just may take a while. If you want to shoot birds and wildlife however you might want to look at getting a longer lens when you can, maybe one of the 300mm variants at the long end.
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| Posted by Maurice: Wed Aug 12th, 2015 21:44 | 17th Post |
| Thanks Rich, much appreciated.
____________________ Maurice |
| Posted by Eric: Thu Aug 13th, 2015 09:51 | 18th Post |
| Not wanting to confuse or disappoint I would just add a couple more points, Maurice. Firstly, I also use Fuji X cameras, which have EVFs so am familiar with their merits. In particular, the ability to see the affect of exp comp. I don't find they afford any greater assistance in composing images than a DSLR. In fact the viewfinder in the FX bodies is far superior in light gathering, clarity, colour fidelity and overal size. So I am a bit bemused why you think the canons EVF is any better than the OVF of the D3300? If you are however referring to the DSLRs Live View feature on the back screen...I TOTALLY agree. For me, one of the biggest advantage of a bridge camera over the DSLR is the ability to shoot movies through the viewfinder. The Nikon Live View LCD screen is a joke for movies. Having just bought my wife a top end Panasonic bridge camera I have to say that it is so good, I myself wonder why I bother with DSLRs anymore! The Leica lens is excellent. The zoom range impressive in a compact lightweight package. The images are very impressive. And as I say, handheld movies are much more stable pressed to the face with a viewfinder than at arms length on a poorly lit LCD rear screen. The main advantage DSLRs offer over all bridge cameras is the ability to clip on large telephotos....if that's what you need. It's true that some bridge cameras can have slower total response times (ie start up+focus acquisition+ firing) and they may be less durable or weather proofed. Also, in the case of the Panasonic, the menus, adjustment steps and control terminology are a bit confusing...but after using Nikons for many years one has 'grown up' with their way of doing things. So it may just be a case of perseverance with Panasonics way of doing it. So, Maurice, don't be too surprised if when you weigh up all the pros and cons, you decide a bridge camera on balance may be sufficient for your needs. 
____________________ Eric |
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