That's a huge question, and impossible to give a short answer to....

start here:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tu...ries/dof.shtml

then here:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tu...exposure.shtml

while you're waiting for these show up after you buy them:

http://www.amazon.com/National-Geogr.../dp/0792274989

http://www.amazon.com/National-Geogr...2733867&sr=1-3

__________________
You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

Shutter Speed without tripod, do not attempt at anything less than about 1/60 of a second. You will get blur.

The right apertaure is very easy to get, you just need to do a light reading. If you are using a manual camera, it should have a light meter on board.
Then you just need to decide, do you want to set your levels: At, below, or above what you meter.

As far as shutter speed, The most common to use is about 1/125 of a second. If you shooting sports, go faster, like 1/250 or above. Only slow it down if you want the image on camera to DRAG or ghost..

B

__________________
----------------------------------------------------------

"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss

1) not if you have a good technique and/or image stabilized lenses
2) that's a very simplistic answer. What if he wants a shallow DOF? or a deep?
3) the general rule on shutter speed is 1/focal length, but there are a lot of situations where that is just a general suggestion, many situations dictate otherwise....

__________________
You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

I've got a few more questions now.

If I use Aperture Priority, the exposure should be correct right..since it's controling the shutter speed? The light meter is great, but how do I know if I need to make a compensation or not?

Can you explain how I should use Auto Exposure Lock? Or should I not worry about that for now?

Btw, there's a DOF preview function, so hopefully that will let me easily set aperture how I need to based on the situation/ what I want.

I think Aperture Priority (and AF) will be a good mode to start shooting on. Any comments about this?

Thanks guys.

Gresch,

As much as I appreciate your response, you should know, I have been shooting professionally for years. When I lived in NY, I made my living doing Portfolio Development for New Faces at: Elite Model Management, Ford, Wilhemenia, Mac2, Ikon, Next, etc.
So I can say with confidence, I know a thing or two about photography.
I'm published in over two dozen magazines and continue to shoot album covers and posters in the music industry.

And to answer your number 1, even if you have good technique and a image stabilizer, anything less than a 1/60th will not blow up well. If you want a good sharp picture, don't go below 1/60th without styx.

In terms of depth of field. That's a long answer to a short question. Vin obviously wants basics.

B

__________________
----------------------------------------------------------

"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss

Vin,

Just remember for Depth of field, the more light you allow in (open aperature) the shorter the depth of field. So if you want everything out of focus except your focal point, go with a 2.8 or so. If you want to see everything behind the subject, go with a smaller F-stop. like an 8-11.

The question you ask is a good one, but let me simply answer by explaining. Photography is one thing and one thing only, A BALANCE OF LIGHT. For every action, you give up something. You will always need 100% light to get the picture, but how you get the light determines what the picture will be.

So if you use a faster aperature, you will probably need a slower shutter, or you will allow in too much light and over expose.
If you use a slower aperature, you will need a faster shutter or you will over expose.
The point is, every shot is a give and take. What do I want to give up and what do I want to exaggerate?
If you go Auto, you are allowing the camera to make the decision for you. In manual, you have to understand what each "priority" will do the picture.

There is no rule. Only the need for the photographer to understand what is important in the frame, and how to highlight it.

__________________
----------------------------------------------------------

"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss

Here are some general tips though.

F-stop 2.8 = means, a VERY wide opening for light to pass through.
As a result, you will have a VERY short depth of field.

F-Stop 16= means, a VERY small opening that light passes through. Result = a very deep depth of field.

So if you want to control your depth of field, then set the Apertaure priority.

1/60th Shutter Speed = SLOW.. (think a highway at night where you can see the brake lights on all the cars, and all the lights on the cars are streaking.)

1/500th Shutter Speed = FAST.. (Think a helicopter in the air, and the picture makes every blade on the helicopter, look like it's frozen in the air.)

So if your shooting sports, you might want the FAST shutter speed at 1/500th. You will see that DIVER stopped motion in the middle of the air.
-- But if you use a slower shutter speed, 1/60th, your photo might show the diver MOVING.. Like a "Streak" as he does his twist and his turn. The reason is, you are shooting a longer period of time. Your camera is receiving more of the action.

But the longer you keep your shutter open, you are going to have to use your F-stop, to prevent too much light from coming in. So you raise your F-stop. (from 2.8 to 5.6) to adjust for your Shutter speed going from 125 to 250. as an example..

__________________
----------------------------------------------------------

"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss

Lots of good advice posted above here.

You also asked when you may want to go slower or faster than what the meter says (or, conversely, vary the aperture). If you have a scene with a lot of backlighting, and the subject is less bright (ie a subject face on a sunny day outside, backlit) then you may want to use a fill flash, or you may want to overexpose to bring the subject face up to the correct exposure, accepting that the background will be overexposed. If you have a centre-weighted meter, and the subject is at the 1/3 point in the frame, you can swing and point the camera at the subject directly, lock the exposure, and reframe your shot.

My second comment is that for generations, people have learned how to do this with film cameras. What I found, myself, is that my learning was much faster with a DSLR, as the feedback was immediate. I tend to shoot more than I did with my film camera, and when I am rusty or learning a new skill, it all goes much faster. That means that I am more satisfied with the results. I never got anywhere near the proficiency of others on here, but a simple DSLR made me a better photographer simply because of the ease of shooting. I still have my film Nikons, gathering dust. I use a D70 most of the time now. It is all the camera I need, I think the photographer is much more important than the camera. You may find that with your film camera you need discipline to track your shots, figure out what you shot, and how it worked. I did. Just my $0.02.

__________________
2007 X3 3.0si, 6 MT, Premium, White

Retired:
2008 535i, 6 MT, M Sport, Premium, Space Grey
2003 X5 3.0 Steptronic, Premium, Titanium Silver
2002 325xi 5 MT, Steel Grey
2004 Z4 3.0 Premium, Sport, SMG, Maldives Blue

Nice Thread, i`m learning a lot Good ingo guys, keep on !

__________________

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.
Autograph your work with excellence.