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Question: Nikon D40 camera help!?!!?
How to change:
Shutter speed!?
Aperture!?
Light measurement stops!?

And the general basics because I always get confused!.!.!.example: when the numer is smaller, will the shutter speed be longer!? And when the aperture number is smaller, will the background be more blurred!? I don't really understand anything about stops so any info on that would be good!.!.!. but all in laymen terms because I'm still a beginner!. Thanks:)Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Read your manual and pick up this book!. It is called Understanding Exposure!. See the links below!. also take a class if you can!.

A brief explanation of what everything means!. ISO, Shutter speed and aperture all work together!. Changing one requires corresponding changes to the other!.

ISO: Is the sensitivity to light of the sensor or film!. The higher the number the more sensitive to light it is!. The trade off is high ISO creates more noise or grain in the picture!. Use the lowest ISO you can get away with!.

Shutter Speed: Is the amount of time the shutter is open to expose the film or sensor!. The higher the number the less time the shutter is open!. For example 1/60th of second is a relatively slow shutter speed while 1/1000th of second is rather fast!. The less available light the longer the shutter needs to be open!. For action shots you need a fast shutter speed in order to freeze action at least 1/250th of a second!. You can not hand hold the camera below 1/60th of a second without getting blurry shots from camera shake!.

Aperture: Aperture does two things!. One it controls how much light is allowed in to the camera!. It works pretty much like your eyes!. In dark situations you need a large aperture!. In bright light you need a small aperture!. The F stops work backwards because they are a ratio so the small number is a bigger hole or aperture while a larger number is a smaller hole or aperture!.

Aperture also controls depth of field!. This is the amount of the photograph that is in focus!. In order to get the nice blurred background of a portrait you need to use a large aperture (small number)!. If you are doing landscapes you want a small aperute (large number) so that everything from near to far is in sharp focus!.

To make these all work together what you need to do is select your ISO!. If you are outside on a sunny day choose ISO 100!. Then you can set your desired aperture or shutter speed!. Lets do a portrait for example!. Set your aperture to the lowest number (largest aperture)!. Then look at the lightmeter in your viewfinder!. Now set your shutter speed!. Turn the dial until the line is in the middle of the light meter!. If your shutter speed is not fast enough say 1/125th increase the ISO until it is!. If you are doing hand held landscapes start with a low ISO, change the shutter and aperture until you get the desired DOF and a fast enough shutter speed!. If you need to you can increase your ISO!.

http://www!.amazon!.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b_1_17!.!.!.

http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/ApertureWww@QuestionHome@Com

Yes, a smaller shutter speed number means a slower shutter speed!. The number is a fraction of a second, so 1/125 is faster than 1/8 of a second!. Keep going low enough and you will get into full second ranges represented by numbers such as 2" or 5" meaning entire seconds!.

The larger the fstop, (aperture), number, the smaller the opening in the lens, thus less light admitted into the camera!. A small aperture, (larger fstop number), will give more depth of field!. A larger aperture, (smaller fstop number), will blur more area beyond your subject!.

Aperture and shutter speed, as well as ISO, have to work together to obtain a correct exposure for any given scene!. Put the camera in full AUTO or Program, and it will make it's best guess on how to expose, but if that is the only way you ever use it, you are totally wasting your money and might as well have a point and shoot!. Study exposure and how to make the camera do what YOU want and envision in your mind!. Otherwise, you will only remain a typical, amateur snap-shooter!.

As for HOW to make setting changes in your camera, I am NOT going to try to tell you that!. That is purely a mechanical matter that is fully explained in your manual!. YOU must make the effort to at least study and understand the manual and basic mechanics of your own camera!.

steveWww@QuestionHome@Com

Consider buying a book (like the "for Dummies" books) or reading up on it on the internet!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

read the manual!.Www@QuestionHome@Com