Thoughts on which settings to use

I am a novice who just purchased A6000 w/ kit lens. I have been playing around with Aperture and Shutter priority settings, Program Auto and changing ISO level as well.

I just learned there is Superior Auto and Intelligent Auto settings so I wanted to see how those performed and took several pics this evening using hand-held and 2 sec delay. It appears the Intelligent and Program Auto are much better than Aperture setting, likely because they stabilized any hand shaking.

My bigger question is how should a novice start using the various settings? It would seem that the Superior and Intelligent settings are always going to produce better quality pics than any novice would take by using their own settings (Aperture or Shutter priority or Manual). My guess is that if one masters all the various settings, he/she can ultimately produce superior pics to the programmed settings because they will be exactly as the user intends them to be.

So, should I forgo quality at this time and forge ahead with my own settings and continue to learn how inputs impact outputs OR use the Superior/Intelligent Auto and practice composition over technical settings. Perhaps its not an either/or. I am going on a safari trip in Kenya in a few weeks and am inclined to just use Superior/Intelligent Auto settings to ensure my pics are of high quality (assuming I'm not going to be that proficient in a few weeks).

I realize this may be a higher level question of learning in general, but I'm a bit overwhelmed after coming from an iPhone and 10 yr old point & shoot camera. I have seen recommendations of online tutorials and will start those very soon.

Thanks






Intelligent Auto




Program Auto




Aperture setting

LSI_CameraGuy said:

I am a novice who just purchased A6000 w/ kit lens. I have been playing around with Aperture and Shutter priority settings, Program Auto and changing ISO level as well.

I just learned there is Superior Auto and Intelligent Auto settings so I wanted to see how those performed and took several pics this evening using hand-held and 2 sec delay. It appears the Intelligent and Program Auto are much better than Aperture setting, likely because they stabilized any hand shaking.

My bigger question is how should a novice start using the various settings? It would seem that the Superior and Intelligent settings are always going to produce better quality pics than any novice would take by using their own settings (Aperture or Shutter priority or Manual). My guess is that if one masters all the various settings, he/she can ultimately produce superior pics to the programmed settings because they will be exactly as the user intends them to be.

So, should I forgo quality at this time and forge ahead with my own settings and continue to learn how inputs impact outputs OR use the Superior/Intelligent Auto and practice composition over technical settings. Perhaps its not an either/or. I am going on a safari trip in Kenya in a few weeks and am inclined to just use Superior/Intelligent Auto settings to ensure my pics are of high quality (assuming I'm not going to be that proficient in a few weeks).

I realize this may be a higher level question of learning in general, but I'm a bit overwhelmed after coming from an iPhone and 10 yr old point & shoot camera. I have seen recommendations of online tutorials and will start those very soon.

Thanks

Click to expand...

The two auto options have nothing to do with stabilization. Aperture priority should still be stabilized as long as you didn't turn off OSS in the camera. The difference might simply be chance as all these shots have pretty slow shutter speeds for hand held.

My recommendation would be to start from the very beginning and learn what all the different camera settings do and the effect that it will have on the shot. With Auto, ultimately exposure might be okay, but you are limited in terms what the rest of the shot will look like. If you start from the basics like that it will help you achieve the kind of shot you want, especially in challenging situations. Good light and static subjects is a great equalizer, but once you get into poor light, subjects in motion and blurred backgrounds, the auto settings might not be able to keep up.

Hi

A6000 Guide

Read this guide on what to set the camera settings for different types of photos.

Brad

I would shoot Manual for now to learn what you are doing. If you want, use auto ISO - but you need to learn and understand the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

Once on your trip, you can use more auto modes for speed, but use M for practicing and learning now.

--
Sam K., NYC
http://skanter.smugmug.com/NYC-Street-Photography
"Native New Yorker" preview:
http://www.blurb.com/b/7943076

From one amateur to another I recommend understanding the functions prior to using any auto settings. I have never used any of the auto settings on my a6000 or NEX-5R. I also only use aperture priority sparingly. I only shoot in manual, that has been the only way for me to begin to understand photography, other than reading.

Before I purchased my previous camera I only shot in auto modes, but I did not understand anything that I was doing. If you read the manual and learn the settings you can potentially get some great pictures in Kenya.

I use Aperture priority. And look at the shutter speed when doing so.

Except when it is dark, and I want a longer shutter speed. Then it usually is S mode.

If I did action, I would also use S with good light.

M is when I want to control both, but I have to watch out that I do not over expose. Using M will lead to shots that fail.

And when one is starting, use P. And use the wheel or dial to adjust between shutter and aperture.

And most importantly, read about these controls. And try to (ab)use them.

LSI_CameraGuy said:

I am a novice who just purchased A6000 w/ kit lens. I have been playing around with Aperture and Shutter priority settings, Program Auto and changing ISO level as well.

I just learned there is Superior Auto and Intelligent Auto settings so I wanted to see how those performed and took several pics this evening using hand-held and 2 sec delay. It appears the Intelligent and Program Auto are much better than Aperture setting, likely because they stabilized any hand shaking.

Click to expand...

Stabilisation is a feature of the lens, rather than the shooting mode. Your shutter speeds are rather low, and it just happens that some images are better than the others.

There's nothing magic about the S-Auto or I-Auto. As you'll see from your EXIF data, all images have roughly the same shooting parameters.

90% of the time, I use Aperture priority on my a6000 (landscapes etc.). You should try to keep the SS up around 1/60s (or faster), and you'll find that Auto ISO does a pretty good job.

Configure your camera so that the rear screen/EVF emulates the final image result, and it's also handy if you display the histogram. You should learn about "exposure compensation".

My son uses Superior Auto on his a5100, and the results are usually quite good.


This lens doesn't have stabilisation.

WryCuda said:

LSI_CameraGuy said:

I am a novice who just purchased A6000 w/ kit lens. I have been playing around with Aperture and Shutter priority settings, Program Auto and changing ISO level as well.

I just learned there is Superior Auto and Intelligent Auto settings so I wanted to see how those performed and took several pics this evening using hand-held and 2 sec delay. It appears the Intelligent and Program Auto are much better than Aperture setting, likely because they stabilized any hand shaking.

Click to expand...

Stabilisation is a feature of the lens, rather than the shooting mode. Your shutter speeds are rather low, and it just happens that some images are better than the others.

There's nothing magic about the S-Auto or I-Auto. As you'll see from your EXIF data, all images have roughly the same shooting parameters.

90% of the time, I use Aperture priority on my a6000 (landscapes etc.). You should try to keep the SS up around 1/60s (or faster), and you'll find that Auto ISO does a pretty good job.

Configure your camera so that the rear screen/EVF emulates the final image result, and it's also handy if you display the histogram. You should learn about "exposure compensation".

My son uses Superior Auto on his a5100, and the results are usually quite good.


This lens doesn't have stabilisation.

Click to expand...

In the iAuto modes, if the camera chooses Anti-Motion Blur or Handheld Twilight mode, the camera takes multiple images and combines them to avoid blur. Maybe that is what the OP is seeing.

You might want to look at the Friedman book if you are serious about learning about your camera: http://friedmanarchives.com/alpha6000/index.htm

LSI_CameraGuy said:

I am a novice who just purchased A6000 w/ kit lens. I have been playing around with Aperture and Shutter priority settings, Program Auto and changing ISO level as well.

Click to expand...

LSI_CameraGuy said:

My bigger question is how should a novice start using the various settings? It would seem that the Superior and Intelligent settings are always going to produce better quality pics than any novice would take by using their own settings (Aperture or Shutter priority or Manual). My guess is that if one masters all the various settings, he/she can ultimately produce superior pics to the programmed settings because they will be exactly as the user intends them to be.

Click to expand...

Keep in mind that metering and exposure settings are two different things. Assuming you meter the same way, changing the exposure mode is going to affect camera shake, subject motion blur, depth of field, diffraction and noise, while resulting in the same brightness. You have control over both of those things, but control of metering is separate from exposure mode settings.

So as for Program/Auto versus modes that offer varying degrees of control, sure, the novice is going to make mistakes early on and maybe program/auto will have a higher "hit ratio" but IMO, if you intend to learn to control exposure, the sooner you start, the better. Program/auto isn't perfect by any means, either. Aside from not knowing what you would ideally want, some cameras will default to 1/30s shutter speed with wide angle lenses or lenses with IS in low light, resulting in images with subject motion blur.

LSI_CameraGuy said:

Perhaps its not an either/or. I am going on a safari trip in Kenya in a few weeks and am inclined to just use Superior/Intelligent Auto settings to ensure my pics are of high quality (assuming I'm not going to be that proficient in a few weeks).

Click to expand...

That's a tough one. You probably don't have time to experiment and get comfortable controlling settings. One thing you can do is look into scene modes. Consider scene modes to offer you a bit more control over P/A but less than A/S ... In Auto, you're telling it to make a best guess at settings; in S mode, you're telling it you want 1/250s ... instead, a scene mode is in the middle ... you're telling it "I'm shooting action in low light" so it doesn't have to guess quite so much, but you don't have to know what to expect from 1/250s. Failing that, I'd consider iAuto over P mode (like I mentioned earlier, P mode can definitely give subpar results because of its tendency to choose slow shutter speeds at times).

You might consider getting Gary Friedman's book on the A6000:

http://www.friedmanarchives.com/alpha6000/index.htm

- Dennis
--

Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

It seems that you would like to really understand your camera and photography. I was in the same boat as you a few months ago. I'm a tech nerd, so I just watched tons of youtube videos to help me understand the exposure triangle.

I never once used the auto modes---I quickly realized If i want a blurry background (bokeh) or motion blur, then I need to be in some sort of priority mode or manual.

I recommend starting with aperture priority & auto iso (set a limit for 6400). However, pay attention to what the camera is doing. Instead of adjusting ISO, i recommend messing with exposure compensation (down on the wheel), and looking at your histogram to check exposure.

Once you are producing photos you like with aperature mode, switch to shutter priority. And give yourself a project--- IE smooth water, or freeze water, motion blur on a moving car, or freezing moving car, etc.

Once you feel comfortable there, then switch to manual mode. Combine everthing you'e learned in the first two in order to make images you are happy with controlling for depth of field (aperature), and motion (shutter speed), while keeping an eye on your histogram (exposure).

I've seen two people refer to the Friedman book. I just purchased the David Busch book and reading through that but it seems to discuss more about what different modes do then how a beginner should start using the camera. Unless folks think the Friedman book is dramatically better, I will keep going through Busch book and the Sony site for A6000.

LSI_CameraGuy said:

I've seen two people refer to the Friedman book. I just purchased the David Busch book and reading through that but it seems to discuss more about what different modes do then how a beginner should start using the camera. Unless folks think the Friedman book is dramatically better, I will keep going through Busch book and the Sony site for A6000.

Click to expand...

My guess is that they're probably pretty similar. Pay attention to the behavior of the various auto modes as well as scene modes to see if they sound like viable options for your upcoming trip.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

LSI_CameraGuy said:

I am a novice who just purchased A6000 w/ kit lens. I have been playing around with Aperture and Shutter priority settings, Program Auto and changing ISO level as well.

I just learned there is Superior Auto and Intelligent Auto settings so I wanted to see how those performed and took several pics this evening using hand-held and 2 sec delay. It appears the Intelligent and Program Auto are much better than Aperture setting, likely because they stabilized any hand shaking.

My bigger question is how should a novice start using the various settings? It would seem that the Superior and Intelligent settings are always going to produce better quality pics than any novice would take by using their own settings (Aperture or Shutter priority or Manual). My guess is that if one masters all the various settings, he/she can ultimately produce superior pics to the programmed settings because they will be exactly as the user intends them to be.

So, should I forgo quality at this time and forge ahead with my own settings and continue to learn how inputs impact outputs OR use the Superior/Intelligent Auto and practice composition over technical settings. Perhaps its not an either/or. I am going on a safari trip in Kenya in a few weeks and am inclined to just use Superior/Intelligent Auto settings to ensure my pics are of high quality (assuming I'm not going to be that proficient in a few weeks).

I realize this may be a higher level question of learning in general, but I'm a bit overwhelmed after coming from an iPhone and 10 yr old point & shoot camera. I have seen recommendations of online tutorials and will start those very soon.

Thanks


Intelligent Auto


Program Auto


Aperture setting

Click to expand...

While I absolutely believe understanding the exposure trinity is important, the relatively short time between now and your once in a lifetime trip is probably too short to really learn that. Considering that composition is far more important than technicals (within reason) , I would focus on composition using the auto modes along with little bit of Aperture & Shutter priority modes if you actually have the time.

Learn the trinity when you come back. Focus on taking images with worthwhile composition right now. Time is short.

There has been much good advice already given regarding playing with the camera, practice using the settings, and viewing the results. I too went on safari as an amateur with an A6000. I returned very happy with my photos. In my case we were driven around by a ranger in an open Land Rover. The ranger would stop for us to take pictures as we happened upon game. Since most sessions were early morning or late afternoon, the sun was fairly low in the sky. The ranger was adept at positioning the land rover relative to the sun and the game.

Shots were almost all handheld using a 70-300G lens. I almost always used M settings during the day: 1/1000 f5.6-8.0 and auto ISO. Max ISO was set at 3200. I primarily used flexible spot for auto focus. I took my initial burst of shots using these settings. At 1/1000 or higher, I felt I could minimize camera shake at longer focal lengths and also freeze the action if there was a bit of movement. f8.0 insured I maximized the chance that the entire scene would be in focus since DOF is narrower than one might think at longer focal lengths. Then, if the animals chose to stay put and basically pose for us, which they often did, I would adjust my settings, usually opening up the lens to achieve more of a portrait mode and to lower the ISO. I often switched to manual focus as well to really nail the face/eyes of the animal.

LSI_CameraGuy said:

I've seen two people refer to the Friedman book. I just purchased the David Busch book and reading through that but it seems to discuss more about what different modes do then how a beginner should start using the camera. Unless folks think the Friedman book is dramatically better, I will keep going through Busch book and the Sony site for A6000.

Click to expand...

I don't think either book is what a beginner should read. Get Understanding Exposure to learn the basics of photography and go out and practice. After that you can mess around with the features of the camera. I do think it's easiest to learn aperture priority personally.

dquangt said:

I don't think either book is what a beginner should read. Get Understanding Exposure to learn the basics of photography and go out and practice. After that you can mess around with the features of the camera. I do think it's easiest to learn aperture priority personally.

Click to expand...

It's probably a good choice for venturing away from Auto/scene modes, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it on an important trip in a few weeks.

The problem is that once you abandon Auto/scene modes, you have to know when to use S and when to use A and what to expect from various shutter speeds in various situations (in terms of both camera shake and subject motion blur) and what to expect in the way of DOF at various f-stops with various focal lengths.

So for that reason, I recommend learning what the intelligent auto and scene modes can do for an upcoming trip, then branch out and learn out to take control of exposure.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com

Phil, great picture and thanks for tales of your recent safari trip. Did you use your kit lens (16-50mm) at all and if so, how did it perform? I did purchase the 55-210mm zoom lens so I won't have quite the same reach as the lens you used.

LSI_CameraGuy said:

Phil, great picture and thanks for tales of your recent safari trip. Did you use your kit lens (16-50mm) at all and if so, how did it perform? I did purchase the 55-210mm zoom lens so I won't have quite the same reach as the lens you used.

Click to expand...

Hi

Read the camera manual and learn how to use the clear image zoom.

It will give you more reach then 210mm and works fairly well when used.

Brad

For bright daylight, the kit lens is a better lens than most people think. I rarely use it because I rarely have it with me. (I bought the Sony 35mm and pretty much just keep it on the camera.)

Having said that, I find that I rarely use the auto settings indoors, because they tend to use lower shutter speeds than I want, in order to get lower ISO than I need. If you are shooting indoors with the kit lens, go ahead and use ISO 3200. It might help you get your shutter speeds into the 1/160 range, and if you are like me, that is kind of the magic number to get rid of motion blur.

If you can keep your subjects close and your backgrounds far, the F6 to F7 range on the kit lens will get you a pretty sharp picture, and still give you a little background separation for portraits. (For landscapes and buildings, all you need are steady hands.)

Longer exposures will improve the color, but for me I need a tripod to go any faster than 1/80. If I am chasing kids around, 1/250 or faster is absolutely necessary.

If you are outside, go ahead and use the auto settings. I have found that Sony will try to get you down to ISO 100, and will adjust the speed as much as possible to get you a little bit of separation. If you are shooting landscapes, you may have to fiddle with that a little, but you should be able to get good results by closing down the aperture to F10 or whatever. I don't shoot much landscape, so I may not be the best person to ask.

LSI_CameraGuy said:

I've seen two people refer to the Friedman book. I just purchased the David Busch book and reading through that but it seems to discuss more about what different modes do then how a beginner should start using the camera. Unless folks think the Friedman book is dramatically better, I will keep going through Busch book and the Sony site for A6000.

Click to expand...

I have also been gratuitously directed to this book, even though I'm a rather experienced photographer. I had thought that advertising was against forum policy.