9 Essential Digital Camera Settings, From Beginner to Expert

Thu Aug 16, 2007 3:16PM EDT

See Comments (26)

OK, the story I'm going to link to actually starts with the experts and eventually works its way down to the beginners, so if you're new to digicam tweaks and advanced settings, try reading from the bottom up.

The most instantly useful tips are probably the three for beginners:

  • Adjust white balance manually to account for lighting conditions (especially fluorescents)
  • Use a higher ISO rating to account for lower light conditions
  • Use Aperture and Shutter Priority modes to keep backgrounds in focus (aperture mode) or freeze fast-moving action shots (shutter priority)

Among the more useful tips from the two advanced sections:

  • Use Full Manual Mode to set both aperture and shutter modes together (though this can get complicated)
  • Try burst mode to capture a bunch of shots, rapid-fire (this is so easy it shouldn't be in the advanced tips, I think)
  • Use histogram displays to quickly check if you've overexposed a shot
  • Use exposure bracketing to try the same shot at different exposure levels to find the one that ultimately looks best. 

I know these tweaks take time and patience to master, but next time you're shooting pics, try giving just one of them a whirl. You might be surprised what a difference they make to your snaps!

LINK: 9 Digital Camera Settings for Every Photographer to Discover 

Related: The 10 Most Common Photographic Mistakes
Absolute Beginner Digital Camera Tips & Tricks
Nifty Tricks For Your Digital Camera

Comments on 9 Essential Digital Camera Settings, From Beginner to Expert

Post a Comment

Join in the discussion. Here you'll see the comments in the order they were posted.

  • 6 Posted by fishej2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think the blog author here really doesn't understand in what situations you would use Av mode.... Generally, you actually want to achieve the opposite effect that you described in Av (Aperture Priority) mode -- when taking a photo, you want the background out of focus, isolating your subject. To get this, you want the aperture as open as possible (f/1.4, f/1.8, etc etc etc depending on the lens) For shooting landscapes, you generally want to stop down your lens to around f/5.6 or f/8 for maximum resolution on a digital. But then the landscape is your subject, it is not the "background."

  • 7 Posted by surferwanabe910 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    i agree..i think that digital cameras has taken away something exciting, and fun about taking pictures..i loved having to wait a while to get the film back, and looking through all the pictures with my family. With digital now...i can just email them and such..AND my photo albums are empty cuz I'd have to print them (expensive)..

  • 8 Posted by msvickers on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    Don't forget to use flash on out door sunny days it will get rid of shadows and keep you from blowing away the background to get the subject in the foreground.

  • 9 Posted by rdnytheng on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:33PM EDT Report Abuse

    my camera has a setting for red eyes, it makes the camera flash twice and takes a shot in between the flash and it worked well when i tested it on my clock thats lights up. the time was readable with teh setting on.

  • 10 Posted by xmmalix on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    It may be good advice for the more advance photograpers, but for a very simple , Low MPX camera owner, How is this advice going to help. How am I going to set my camera in manual mode if I don't have that feature available ? I think your advice was for the people with more advance, SLR cameras perhaps. All 3 basic advices don't seem to work with basic digital cameras.

  • 11 Posted by oshalabi on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    If my camera needs all these, I prefer to through it and buy new one.

  • 12 Posted by munchkn_2004 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    Here are a few things to consider before ruling digital photography out completely.... 1.) When it comes to setting your camera up for proper lighting, exposure, aperature, etc. you still have to tweek SLR film cameras for all of these settings. Point and shoot cameras typically don't have the options of manually adjusting your camera settings-especially disposables. 2.) If you take a picture with a film camera, you quite possibly will get a terrible picture if the image is underexposed or your f/stop is incorrect, therefore losing a memory you will never get back. Waiting to get your film back can be exciting, but I work in a photo lab and I see day after day the disappointment because their pictures didn't turn out. Which then of course becomes my fault :). Digital photography gives you the opportunity to take a shot and then verify that the image did in fact take properly. 3.) Many people are concerned that digital photography doesn't capture true color. Again, you still have play around with contrast, saturation, and color with film as well as digital. In a lot of cases I have to adjust more in film than in digital. Although film is still around and accessible, I advise people constantly that they may want to transition to digital within the next two years, because film photography will more than likely be obsolete within the next 10 years. As I said before, I work in a photo lab and we only process an average 3 rolls per day, whereas just two years ago, we were processing an average of 25.

  • 13 Posted by hayesmckean on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:17PM EDT Report Abuse

    vishbaindur: usually there is a flash mode that is called 'red eye reduction' or something to that effect, on different models of cameras it is represented differently (icons); usually something like a lightning bolt (the flash) and an eye (the eye).. How it works is it before the picture is actually taken it pre-flashes a few times to constrict the iris so that less light reflects off the back of the eye. You can also just go in with picture editing software and remove it there (faster than doing it on actual prints with inks like in the old days)

  • 14 Posted by ron_wou on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    The information is useful, but I didnt find the article very helpful. It merely suggests what should be done to make the pictures better, but it doesnt tell you how and when to change the settings.

  • 15 Posted by jnljr007 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    Yeah but on the old cameras you wasted film, now you just delete and take another. Still don't need to be a nuclear scientist just smarter than the thing you're trying to operate.

  • 16 Posted by midiwerks on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    These tips are common photographic techniques also applicable to film (except white balance-electronic imaging only). If your camera doesn't have these controls, it means they're set automatically by the camera. Full auto covers many situations, but has problems with special lighting or creative shots. Still, if you follow certain rules, you will take better pictures regardless of your equipment. I have been working with my wife on some basic composition and lighting rules. On our last trip, she took some great shots.

  • 17 Posted by joann8844 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    i have to remember the zoom when taking a photo of someone in a crowd. took a photo of my grandsons in a public pool and i can hardly make out who they are. thanks for the article, it was great.

  • 18 Posted by juliebeanss on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    My camera has many settings and options, except for adjusting the shutter speed. Why is that, and if I can, how can I change it?

  • 19 Posted by realistindenial on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:33PM EDT Report Abuse

    It's a short tips article. It's not meant to be comprehensive. "How" depends on the camera model. EVERY camera is different. "When" requires experimentation and experience.

  • 20 Posted by nicoledeckerroy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    I don't know why you talk about digital being more expensive than a regular camera to have printed. You get to pick the best picture with digital instead of taking a whole role of film to see if you got that one great shot.

  • 21 Posted by laredogirl_20006 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    now this days i love my camara digital where u can see it came good or not and if u dont like it u jsut deleted and is a lot cheaper u can take as much as u want and dont have to pay for development u just print the once u want and thats it i love digital camaras tessy merino. laredo texas

  • 22 Posted by spiderwebride on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    buy a camera that uses "AA" batteries, so that way you can buy a nice set of rechargeable batteries, and you dont have to depend on a special expensive batteries all the time, also are you in an emergency?, run out of batteries, forgot the charger? go to the store get a pack of "AA" and problem fix!

  • 23 Posted by twilightattire on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have a pretty cheap digital camera and it has every feature except the ability to choose shutter speed... I think most of the options listed in the article are standard features on just about every camera now. The best advice would be to actually read through your camera's manual and learn when to use the features as well as how to get to them. It might take a little time, but the adjustability of the digital camera really puts the control of your pics in your hands. Or I guess you could just have the "fun" of waiting in breathless anticipation to see if your pictures turned out okay with a disposable film camera.

  • 24 Posted by kcgrimm on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    I prefer drawings over camera's anyways. Although sometimes when I bring my canvas to the bars my friends get annoyed but they are jerks about it man.

  • 25 Posted by nudrflet on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    "Worst article ever. Just use the auto settings and the camera is intelligent enough to make hundreds of calculations and take the best photo possible." Not at all true. There's a huge advantage to using manual setting precisely because the camera isn't that smart. To think otherwise is to discount the knowledge and expertise professional photographers have spent thousands of hours accumulating. What a grossly ignorant comment.

More Posts: First Prev 1 2 3 Next Last

Post a Comment

Sign In to Post a Comment

My Tech

Please enable your browser's cookies to activate the My Tech column.

Also on Yahoo! Tech

Computers Home Office Wi-Fi & Networking Phones & PDAs Cameras & Camcorders TV & Home Theater Portable Audio
 

Site Map | Tour | Subscribe to Yahoo! Tech

Question and Answer content at Yahoo! Tech is written by Yahoo! users at Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any Yahoo! Answers content. For more information, read the Full Disclaimer.

Opinions expressed by the Advisors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo! receives no compensation from any manufacturer or distributor nor does it compensate any Advisor for the coverage of any product or service in any Advisor's content.