A few days ago, I got myself a Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera along with a Canon EFS 18-55mm lens for about $160. Until now, I’ve only ever used point-and-shoots, like my smartphone or my “Kodak” Pixpro AZ401.

So, it’s basically the first time I get to properly play around with the exposure triangle and all that good, manual stuff. I already love this camera, because despite the low cost, you can get great shots in auto mode out of the box, but it’s also very versatile in professional photography. All that, and I still haven’t even gotten into editing raw photos; this is just the JPG!

This particular photo of a garden shed was shot with:

ISO: 6400
Exposure: 1/395s
Aperture: f/14
Focal length: 46mm
Resolution: 5184x3456

From what I’ve heard, those settings aren’t ideal, especially the high ISO for that much light. Does anybody have some general tips for me or resources to check out?

By the way, I also just installed Magic Lantern. That’s some great stuff. Oh, and also - if anyone has a good way to connect it as a webcam on Linux, that’s also very welcome since EOS Utility doesn’t work and Gphoto2 is very low-res. The first thing I didn’t get properly running on Linux!

  • Sunoc
    5·
    6 months ago

    Love the light on that shot! I hope you’ll keep going with the hobby!

    Here are a few things:

    • “Kit lens” such as this 18-55 of yours are typically not that great. It really depends what you plan to shoot, but going with a prime lens (50mm f/1.8), if you can afford it, or something vintage (Helios) can be a great experience; also for “forcing” you to shoot manual, as other advised.
    • Great to see you are on Linux! I have no idea about the webcam stuff. I also didn’t had luck trying to use a Sony camera myself, but I’m guessing if the proprietary software doesn’t work, the only option is to get a capture card for your PC.
    • For editing, I strongly recommend Darktable, also as advised before!
    • Shooting manual is rewarding; shooting “blind” (idk if there is a specific word for that), where you estimate the exposure “by hand” is a lot of fun imo, and very forgivable on digital camera! If you can, give a shot at the “Sunny 16 rule” technique. To me, it makes shooting outside very relaxing since I don’t have to care about the camera settings that much once it’s figured out.

    Have fun, but beware! It’s a deep, deep rabbit hole.

    • FQQD! @lemmy.ohaa.xyzOPEnglish
      3·
      6 months ago

      Thanks for the nice response :)

      I’ve heard Darktable a lot, and I’ve actually looked at it before, but it looked intimidating and I did not yet really have any photos I could try to edit, so I continued doing that first. As for the webcam thing: I have a capture card, and it kinda works, but I’m not too sure on how to get a clean output through the HDMI port.

      However, I’ll definitely look into those things :D

      As for the lens thing: I don’t think I’ll spend money on new lenses immediately, and if I was, I’d look for cheap used ones. I kinda wanna create art and not necessarily perfection, and also I don’t like spending money xd

      I think it’s about finding character in the gear you have.