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Learning the controls of my dSLR what would you do?

topic posted Wed, July 1, 2009 - 4:32 PM by  Julie 		Share/Save/Bookmark
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I've had my Cannon EOS 20D for 3 years now. For two of those years I've taken a decent amount of shots. I'm sorry to say that my camera still eludes me to this day. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit I have this amazingly wonderful and expensive piece of equipment that I don't fully understand yet. That is my dilemma. I think it's partly due to the learning curve, moving from film (99% of the time - black and white) to color digital...and also not really being fond of learning the inner workings of technical pieces of equipment.

I'm going to Burning Man this year for the first time in four years and it'll be the first time bringing the dSLR out there. I want to get as comfortable with the manual controls of the camera as possible, another thing that completely eludes me. I just haven't taken the time to teach myself everything. All the automatic controls of the camera have left me lazy and not completely knowing what I'm doing regarding white balance, shooting in RAW (and its obvious advantages), or any of the other million features the camera has. I still get good shots but I want total control of the functionality of the camera, so I can get excellent shots, ya know? I want to feel like I'm controlling the camera, not the other way around.

I've lost the little pocket guide book to the camera that listed the basic features and ways to control the camera. Perhaps I should go online and see if I can download that.

What would you do if you were me and had two months to get a good foundation for learning all the controls of your dSLr? Would you go out and read a book? Read the manual? Google around to find a good tutorial? Look at video tutorials? I'm definitely more of a hands-on, kinesthetic and visual learner so going out and doing it will be key. There's so much information out there and I'd like to know what you have all done or could recommend to me. Thanks!
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Julie
offline Julie
Arizona
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  • Patti
    Patti
    offline 172

    Re: Learning the controls of my dSLR what would you do?

    Wed, July 1, 2009 - 9:20 PM
    I've written a blog that is geared toward exactly what you want: www.stopshootingauto.com/

    Go through the exposure lessons in order, and be sure to do the exercises as you do. And then practice, practice, practice. Set up experiments for yourself to see how different settings affect the results, and once you've gone through the results do something else and see what happens.
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    • Julie
      Julie
      offline 52

      Re: Learning the controls of my dSLR what would you do?

      Thu, July 2, 2009 - 10:27 AM
      Wow!! Thank you for all the wonderful responses. I'm thrilled to start! I wasn't expecting such a comprehensive list of what to do so soon after I posted but this is fantastic.

      Patti, I started reading through your tutorial and it's excellent. I'm going to check out everything you've listed, it's quite comprehensive. Love it.

      Michael- that's so sweet, thank you!!
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  • Re: Learning the controls of my dSLR what would you do?

    Wed, July 1, 2009 - 9:24 PM
    Julie,

    Cannot recommend this book enough:
    www.amazon.com/Canon-EOS-.../1579906923

    It really helped me.

    If you have some specific, detailed questions about the 20D, PM me here, happy to help. Or send me email, and/or with your problem photos to:
    mab@cruzio.com

    Happy to help.

    I have (2) 20Ds, they were workhorses, and great cameras for astrophotography. One, I finally burned up, and had to have repaired, because it had ~200000 shutter activations, dying on me in the middle of a belly dance show, LOL. I went through all the stages of grief in about 20 minutes on that gig: "OMG! My baby is not coming back! I have to get a new camera!" seems more funny now, than then, of course.

    Anyway, delighted to walk you through the 20D, it's a fine camera.

    Wish you well.

    Blessings and Light,
    M
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  • Babe...
    Babesodelicious
    offline 69

    Re: Learning the controls of my dSLR what would you do?

    Thu, July 9, 2009 - 5:26 PM
    I'm no tech savvy photog. The easiest thing for me to do was put my 20D either in Av or Tv mode and start taking pictures. Then looked at the LCD readouts (in camera via the viewfinder and on top) after I did a quick look at the image (it's the little left button above the trashcan button) on the screen and then adjusted my picturetaking accordingly. Since you've shot film, I bet you already have a good understanding of the basics of photography. So the next thing you need to know about are histograms. Check Michael Reichmann's Luminous Landscape site to understand how to read a photo's histogram. After a while you won't pay much attention to them. Plus if you decide to use the built-in flash and have a wide-angle zoom lens (like 16-35 mm or 24-70 mm), see what happens when you shoot using both wide and normal widths with flash. Sometimes a long lens is necessary, so rent one if you don't own one. Also like how a circular polarizing filter makes a dark sky even more dramatic.

    As to Burning Man, I liked taping with blue painter's masking tape the areas on the 20D that seemed vulnerable to dust. Brought one of those rubber pumping air thingees instead of a can of compressed air and a soft brush to gently remove any dust from around the opening, the mirror, and the lenses. As to dust storms, sometimes you can get some really neat shots in white-out conditions. My trick was to hide the camera under my shirt and as soon as a quick break in the dust came, I'd pull it out and shoot.

    I think I tried putting my 20D in a plastic bag for a while. But what with most of the days being frickin' hot and the dust storms not kicking up until later in the day, I figured the plastic bag was overkill.

    Pay attention to the light. Have fun.
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    • Sooo...
      Soooz: biker/priestess
      offline 317

      Re: Learning the controls of my dSLR what would you do?

      Tue, July 14, 2009 - 10:14 AM
      I didn't get much protective gear for my camera either. I usually wore a sarong, robe, hoodie, or something and kept the camera under it when I wasn't shooting. Didn't send it in for cleaning for over a year. No damage, at least not from playa dust.
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      • Julie
        Julie
        offline 52

        Re: Learning the controls of my dSLR what would you do?

        Fri, October 2, 2009 - 12:28 AM
        Thanks everyone for your help. I was able to find the mini pocket manual before I left. It reminded me of some of the basics of the camera like what every mode was for. I also bought the EWA marine bag I was talking about and was so happy I did. There were some pretty intense dust storms later in the week. Having that enclosure allowed me to take it out in all sorts of dust storms without worrying about dust on the sensor.

        Unfortunately my lens broke RIGHT before I look it out to Burning Man and I had to get a rental from my local shop. Well, the lens had issues with it the entire week and was giving me black circles around the edges (even without the marine bag enclosure). Thankfully my camera place refunded the rental fee. I've fixed most of the pics but there are still a couple I haven't corrected. www.flickr.com/photos/jul...2283190999/
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