Lots of help for basic Camera

[4leggedsoul]

I have only a basic Kodak digital Z1012 IS, I wonder If anyone can tell me the ISO and aperture settings for bright days evening, low light etc... and sometimes I would like to pre-set for certain conditions? as I sometimes see a great shot that I have no time to set for!

[Frog]

There is no definite answer.
On bright days use the lowest iso and smallest aperture unless you want shallower dof then you would use a wider aperture.
As light gets dimmer there are 3 ways to control what you get. Iso, aperture, and shutter speed. When you need a certain shutter speed and aperture and they aren't enough to catch the shot then increase the iso.

[freygr]

If you wish to use the camera in manual mode, just purchase a light meter, or just set it to auto mode.

[4leggedsoul]

Thanks I don't want to coninue always using auto mode I don't like It at all, just doesn't do it

[gryphonslair99]

One of the best resources that any beginning photographer that want to get away from Auto mode can buy.
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Und.../9780817463007

[freygr]

Thanks I don't want to continue always using auto mode I don't like It at all, just doesn't do it

I'm sorry to say: You will need a light meter!

No Ifs ANDs or BUTs....... The exposure must be dead on with digital camera's, as the digital has no exposure latitude like film. I've printed off film which was almost clear, but if it was taken with digital with the same exposure you would have just a black screen with out any information.

[Medley]

As far as presets- just before I shut my camera down, I put it in Aperture Priority (Av) mode, and set the aperture to the lowest possible number (widest setting). That way, if I see something I want to shoot, I can turn the camera on, and it will give me the fastest possible shutter speed for the lighting conditions.

- Joe U.

[OldClicker]

I'm sorry to say: You will need a light meter!

No Ifs ANDs or BUTs....... The exposure must be dead on with digital camera's, as the digital has no exposure latitude like film. I've printed off film which was almost clear, but if it was taken with digital with the same exposure you would have just a black screen with out any information.

Why wouldn't you use the built-in meter in the camera? - TF

[Medley]

Why wouldn't you use the built-in meter in the camera? - TF

TF, the built-in meter measures light being reflected off of the subject, while a light meter measures light falling onto the subject. The difference is subtle, but it can be very important.

- Joe U.

[Dougjgreen]

TF, the built-in meter measures light being reflected off of the subject, while a light meter measures light falling onto the subject. The difference is subtle, but it can be very important.

- Joe U.

Not necessarily. Most hand held light meters can measure both reflected or incident light.

[another view]

TF, the built-in meter measures light being reflected off of the subject, while a light meter measures light falling onto the subject. The difference is subtle, but it can be very important.

- Joe U.

Actually the difference can be at least two stops, depending on the color of the subject you're measuring. And that's a huge deal, obviously, if you're trying to be that accurate. Hand-helds can measure reflected, incident (light that falls onto something) or flash for strobes - or some combination of these three.

[another view]

I have only a basic Kodak digital Z1012 IS, I wonder If anyone can tell me the ISO and aperture settings for bright days evening, low light etc... and sometimes I would like to pre-set for certain conditions? as I sometimes see a great shot that I have no time to set for!

Lets back up a second here. Think of ISO and aperture as ingredients in the recipe you're trying to make. Half a cup of something isn't necessarily better than a teaspoon (think Cayenne Pepper ).

Our eyes don't see how a camera will record a scene - regardless of film, digital or anything else. That's either a bad thing, or you can creatively exploit it. I'm not talking about using Photoshop to make grass look nuclear-waste-green, but more like using that contrast to make a more dynamic shot; one that really grabs you. Is a photograph the truth? Not really, IMO but that's getting totally off track.

Light constantly changes, more than your eyes may notice. If you work enough with manual exposure and handheld meters you can probably learn to be more perceptive, but to say that you have a scene with ___, use these settings ___ is just impossible.

Don't worry about a handheld meter at this point, IMO. Instead, learn about Exposure and The Histogram. A hand-held meter won't help you if you don't know both of these subjects anyway (and again I'm going to say this probably won't be necessary for you right now). Learn more about how your camera operates - can you do Exposure Compensation? If you want a more vivid sunset, try a -1/3 or -1/2 exposure compensation. Experiment a lot.

[OldClicker]

TF, the built-in meter measures light being reflected off of the subject, while a light meter measures light falling onto the subject. The difference is subtle, but it can be very important.

- Joe U.

The think the quote I was questioning said that he needed a light meter to shoot in manual. Are you saying that you need a non-reflected light reading to use manual? - TF

[4leggedsoul]

Thank you everyone for all this! until I get my new camera I wanted to continue to take the best I could and exposure and clarity are huge problems my husband did have an old Minolta film camera that I loved but it was lost In car accident. I now have only the kodak

[freygr]

Thank you everyone for all this! until I get my new camera I wanted to continue to take the best I could and exposure and clarity are huge problems my husband did have an old Minolta film camera that I loved but it was lost In car accident. I now have only the kodak

The is a big difference between film and digital. If you did get good photos with the Minolta it does not translate to digital, unless you understand exposure as with digital the exposure is the a very important as the range of the digital sensor is much less than film. Also depending on the age of the Kodak camera you my be having problems with the shutter lag.

You can look on Ebay and find another Minolta film camera, or purchase a different digital camera which doesn't have shutter lag.

[another view]

Are you saying that you need a non-reflected light reading to use manual? - TF

I can't answer for this person, but there are three types of meters:

Reflected - such as what's in a camera, including a spot meter
Incident - measures light that falls on something
Flash - generally used in a studio for measuring strobes

By non-reflected I take it you mean incident, and if that's the case, no you don't need it. I don't own a hand-held anymore and still shoot manually on occasion using the in-camera reflected meter. It's just a different technique, and pretty much the basis for the Zone System. For example, if the most important part of the shot you want to show up as almost black, you might spot meter it and set it at about -2 stops (exactly how much is based on your workflow, etc). This is because the spot meter (like any reflected light meter) sees everything as 18% gray but that's not what you want. For white you'd do the opposite; maybe +2 stops.

With an incident you just wouldn't use a "+" or "-" in your calculation. However, it won't help you much with the sky a mountain that's many miles away.

[Frog]

I don't think the OP cares and will be just fine with the cameras meter.

[another view]

I don't think the OP cares and will be just fine with the cameras meter.

I agree - two separate situations going on here...