Originally posted by khaz0r I did some research and at the time found the K200D to be in my budget and for my needs.
Congrats on your new camera and welcome to the forum.
Quote: So, after purchasing it I didn't know how to use it properly. Sure I can go to the preset settings and snap photos with it, but I could never take a good shot of something at night or of a moving object.
Well, taking photos in the dark is tricky for the masters.
With moving objects, it's not SO hard. First question is, do you want to see evidence of the movement - you know, some blur as the cyclist races by you? Or do you want to freeze the movement? After that, it's just a question of setting the shutter speed properly, and then adjusting aperture and/or ISO to get a usable exposure. Basic rules:
- sports: shoot in Tv (shutter priority) mode
- everything else: shoot in Av (aperture priority) mode
A shutter speed of 1/250th sec or faster (1/400th sec, 1/500th sec etc) will freeze most human motion. A race car zooming past you might need a LOT faster shutter to be caught cold but if you're shooting kids playing soccer, you can think of 1/250th sec as a sort of starting point for the "fast zone."
Slower shutter speeds (1/125th sec, 1/60th sec) may reveal a little or a lot of motion. Just depends on the motion. Your camera has shake reduction. If you turn it on, you may be able to shoot as slow as 1/30th sec (if you have a steady hand) without using a tripod, and get a picture that isn't affected by camera shake.
Quote: I was wondering if you could help me with some guides or instructions on helping me use the camera. The instruction manual that came with the camera was useless as it didn't tell me anything. ...
Right. The users manual is more useful AFTER you've figured out how to use the camera.
I don't like videos very much. There are two kinds of basic questions:
- How do I do X? (where X = take a portrait, photograph the sunset, etc)
- How do I do X on my particular camera?
For the latter question, this forum is your very best resource. Don't know what a button does, or any question of that sort, just come to the beginner's corner and ASK. I personally love easy questions. ;-)
But this forum is also great for the first kind of question. There are a zillion books about how to use your DSLR, about exposure, and other topics. But the theory is pretty simple.
Here's my advice. Remember that there are three camera settings that affect the exposure of a shot:
- aperture
- shutter speed
- ISO
I would suggest that you put the ISO at 200 and leave it alone. Then experiment either with full manual (your best choice) or at least Av and Tv modes. Use Tv for sports, Av for everything else.
Best probably to start with Av mode. Learn what the f-stop numbers mean. Take shots and then look at them on your review screen. Take lots of test shots. Practice! Put a wine bottle on your dining room table and figure out how to get very narrow depth of field, or how to get lots of depth of field.
Shoot, look, change settings, shoot, look again.
Quote: My current gear:
Pentax K200D
Pentax 18-55mm lens
and arriving is a Sigma 55-200mm lens.
Fine.
Quote: ...should I buy a mini extending tripod? 5-9"?
No. Learn how to use the camera in a general way. Later, buy a tripod - but you're better off getting a decent one.
Anyway, ask a specific question. Lots of helpful people here!
Will