nikon d3200 new user

daskalos

New member
hello to all
I just bought a used d3200 with kit lens (18-55mm). I'm new to photography and I would like to ask, regarding the test photo I upload, if you see any problem with the camera, lens, or any suggestions. I shoot at P mode (for now) with picture control set to sd (sharpness +6 and saturation +1), auto iso from 100 to 6400 and shutter from 1/30
it was a cloudy afternoon.
_DSC0013.jpg
thanks very much
 

nickt

Senior Member
Welcome. Your camera and lens look like they are working fine. While 'P' is a very decent automatic mode to shoot in, you will eventually want to move away from it. Some things that would be different if you took a little more control:

Your shutter speed was 1/3200. You can go much slower since there is no motion here. Going slower would give you more room in other parameters. You could have shot this very reliably at 1/60 or 1/100. Probably even 1/30 if you are steady. This would allow you to stop the lens down a bit. Many lenses will show improved sharpness when stopped down slightly. Also, your iso would drop down, which is always good. This change might not make a big difference in this particular shot, but it will help you down the road.

There are different ways to make the above happen, in the end, its all the same. I might have shot this in Aperture mode and chose a slightly tighter (higher) aperture than f3.5, the camera will pick the shutter and since you have auto iso on, it will also pick the iso.
You could make it happen in shutter mode too. You can also jump to different combinations of shutter and aperture while in P mode by turning the command wheel. You will see a * in the viewfinder when you alter the program.

If you are not yet familiar with the exposure triangle - the relationship between shutter, aperture, and iso, let us know. I have some links that will quickly get you up to speed.
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.
We look forward to seeing more posts and samples of your work.

Nickt suggestions are good. I would also suggest doing away with auto ISO and shutter. The more you select yourself, the more control you will have.
 

daskalos

New member
Thank you all very much. I have read about iso, shutter and aperture but never had a dslr to try. Had little compacts and before that, classic film cameras. Dslrs give you much room to try and learn. I didnt know for example that smaller aperture will give better sharpness but I knew about depth of field.
I will definitely take more pictures (i hope with better theme :) ) and post samples.
Very active forum you have !!
 

Marilynne

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Thank you all very much. I have read about iso, shutter and aperture but never had a dslr to try. Had little compacts and before that, classic film cameras. Dslrs give you much room to try and learn. I didnt know for example that smaller aperture will give better sharpness but I knew about depth of field.
I will definitely take more pictures (i hope with better theme :) ) and post samples.
Very active forum you have !!

Just a suggestion - you might want to create your own thread. You can see how you progress and get feedback. Also enter the weekly and monthly challenges to push yourself to try new things.

Here's the link to create your thread - https://nikonites.com/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=55
 

nickt

Senior Member
I didnt know for example that smaller aperture will give better sharpness but I knew about depth of field.
Not real small, just slightly stopped down for many lenses. Test your lens, take some shots of a soda can or some distant sign. Find your sharpest aperture by how well you can read the text on the sign. You don't always have to shoot at that sweet spot, but good to know your sharpest aperture so you can choose it when there is plenty of light. You can also use this distant sign practice to find YOUR minimum shutter speed. Its good to know how slow you personally can get reliable handheld shots at a given zoom and shutter speed.
To Brent's point, auto iso can be confusing. In my opinion, its fine to leave on in P mode, but you probably should turn it off when trying other modes. I love auto iso, I often shoot in manual mode with auto iso. But as you first venture off of P mode, turn it off so you can better get a feel for how your camera behaves. Once you are 100% comfortable with how shutter, aperture and iso relate, you can introduce auto iso to the mix. It can be helpful or it can be a pain. Enjoy.
 

mrs.hughes

New member
Thanks, nickt. I've owned the D3200 for a few years and I struggle to get out of Auto. May I ask you for the links you would recommend to "get up to speed" on the exposure triangle? I will be camping in the Sequoias in a few days and would like to practice a few things. I have the kit lenses. Thank You.
 

nickt

Senior Member
Thanks, nickt. I've owned the D3200 for a few years and I struggle to get out of Auto. May I ask you for the links you would recommend to "get up to speed" on the exposure triangle? I will be camping in the Sequoias in a few days and would like to practice a few things. I have the kit lenses. Thank You.

Here is a video and something to read. The basic idea is you have 3 parameters, shutter, aperture and iso. They all come together to 'bake' an exposure. Change one or two and the others must change to keep the balance and create a correctly 'baked' exposure. I find it similar to real baking. Within reason, when you bake, you can vary time and temperature and still get a good bake. Same with exposure. There are equivalent combinations of the three parameters that make the exposure. You just need to decide which parameter is most important to a particular shot. Give that priority and adjust the others for a proper 'cook'. Shutter=time, aperture = amount of opening to let light in and iso is the cameras sensitivity to light. There is advantages to each and disadvantages. If you have any questions, post a new thread so more people see your question.

Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8T94sdiNjc

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-exposure.htm
 
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