Camera settings

[Tom Hacker]

I am quite new to modern SLR digital photography, I have just bought a canon 100d camera with standard lens
18-55. and in a few weeks I will attend a family reunion with about 50 members in a suitable pub with normal pub lighting no disco or flashing lights.
Can anyone suggest what settings I should use on this new Canon camera ? any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks Tom

[Black Pearl]

Leave it on automatic and just rely on the camera sorting the exposure out while you wrestle the people into one cohesive clump.

[Manfred M]

You say you are new to modern DSLR photography; dose this mean you are an old film SLR photographer and have a decent level of photographic experience?

Think of a DSLR as a computer that takes pictures. The camera, lens and built-in flash communicate with each other and doe their best to figure out the right settings based on the readings the camera gets (distance to subject from the lens and light level from the built in light meter). The little green A* is the fully automatic mode and essentially turns over all decisions to the camera's on board computer. The "P" stands for Program Mode and is closely related fully automatic mode, but lets the photographer over-ride some camera decisions.

In low light, the camera may have trouble focusing and the tiny flash that comes on the camera doesn't have a lot of power, so if the shooting parameters are outside of the camera's range, you will definitely get a blown picture.

In the best case scenario, all you need to do is to zoom in to what you want in terms of framing the image and hold the camera level and it will take care of everything else for you.

[Tom Hacker]

Thank you for your helpful reply, my experience in serious photography goes back many years to 1962 and 1963 in the days of 120 film cameras and later 35mm film, after many years losing interest and only using compact cameras and eventually a Canon 300D SLR. but today my interest has returned at the age of 80, so the learning phrase is a lot slower but I will succeed. but all advise and help is much appreciated. with thanks

[chauncey]

I love it...another old fart to keep me company...
Memorize that manual and practice prior to that reunion...it's really no big deal.

[Manfred M]

Thank you for your helpful reply, my experience in serious photography goes back many years to 1962 and 1963 in the days of 120 film cameras and later 35mm film, after many years losing interest and only using compact cameras and eventually a Canon 300D SLR. but today my interest has returned at the age of 80, so the learning phrase is a lot slower but I will succeed. but all advise and help is much appreciated. with thanks

The basics of photography have not changed. You still need to get the right balance of ISO, shutter speed and aperture, plus of course a decent composition. With variable ISO and autofocus, things have gotten a lot easier in that the automation has taken care of a lot of this for you.

What I do suggest is that you get out and shoot so that you have some familiarity with how the camera functions before the "big event"; a few weeks is not a lot of time to get used to your new camera, but it is certainly a start.

[William W]

I'd also suggest using the camera as much as possible to get to know it.

Apropos definitive suggestions for the Camera Settings –

1. For single portraits or a very small group of people when you are close (about 8ft max.) then although the Flash will be harsh: if you use “INTELLIGENT AUTOMATIC MODE” (Rectangle with the “+” sign), you will get reasonably well exposed image files.

2. For larger groups or for when you are more than 8ft from the Subjects the “FLASH INHIBITED MODE” (rectangle with the straight line through the Flash symbol) or the “SPORTS SHOOTING MODE” (running man symbol) will likely be better than using the “Intelligent Automatic Mode” (Rectangle with the “+” sign).

The reason for suggesting either of those other two automatic modes, is, because when the camera is in “Intelligent Automatic Mode” the flash will pop up and I don’t think that there is any way of disabling that function. The Pop Up Flash is quite weak (power) and because the lighting in a pub is typically around EV6~9, the flash may not have enough power for a correct exposure as the KEY LIGHT. This is especially considering that the lens is rather slow (small maximum aperture) and as a general rule the Intelligent Auto Function is NOT necessarily biased toward bumping the ISO very high.

Although I have not used an EOS 100, I do know that typically for EOS DSLR's “Intelligent Automatic Mode” and "FULL AUTO MODE" when shooting in medium to low light level and when the Pop Up Flash is not powerful enough to act as the KEY LIGHT, then the camera’s functionality will tend to use the flash as a FILL LIGHT and reduce the SHUTTER SPEED to increase the Ambient Exposure. This is something that I expect you won't want, because at a pub I guess the group will not be playing 'statues', so, if the flash is not powerful enough to adequately freeze SUBJECT MOTION the ability to make a Faster Shutter speed is more useful than being stuck with a slower Shutter Speed.

I think that the “Sports Mode” will default to “CONTINUOUS SHOOTING” but that should be a user over-rideable setting and you should be able to select “SINGLE SHOOTING”.

A little more sophisticated selection and with a bit of practice beforehand, would be to use P MODE in combination with PROGRAM SHIFT; AUTO ISO; EVALUATIVE METERING; AUTO WHITE BALANCE; SINGLE SHOOTING; and MANUAL FIRING FLASH.

One major advantage of using P MODE (in combination with those selections) is that you can select when, or when not to use the Pop Up Flash, by depressing the Flash Button on the camera. (On Canon EOS cameras that button is usually located on the side of the pentaprism head, near the flash).

The other major advantage of using P MODE (in combination with those other selections) is that you can use Program Shift to have greater control over the SHUTTER SPEED, thus having more control to alleviate SUBJECT MOTION BLUR.

In any and all cases, when using that lens, you will leverage your ability to use a faster SHUTTER SPEED if you shoot at Focal Length = 18mm to 22mm, because that is where the lens is the fastest at F/3.5.

I am reasonably certain that the key words referenced by capital letters (or close to those words) will be the terminology in the camera’s USER INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL.

WW

[William W]

. . . You've got a couple of weeks to practice: are you considering buying a Dedicated Hot Shoe Flash anyway?

If yes, then that would make the photographs at the reunion much MUCH easier.

WW

[rpcrowe]

Tom... Welcome to CiC. I think that you will find that our members are more polite and helpful than members of other sites.

Using a hotshoe flash (bounced) might be the best way to get images of your group. If there is very little light in the pub, it might be quite difficult to get the images that you want without flash to assist you...

OTOH: Is there any chance of visiting the pub and experimenting. I would shoot with P mode and boost the ISO up at least to 800 and see what kind of exposure you would get using that ISO. I am not sure what quality your camera might give using a higher ISO but, it is better to have a noisy picture that is pretty sharp than to have an image without noise that is not sharp...

[IzzieK]

I am not a Canon shooter so I will just welcome you here at CiC. 'Hope you have a good time while you are here.

[proseak]

Here's a review for the camera - looks like a nice machine

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/cano...100d-rebel-sl1

can you visit the pub at the same time of day beforehand, and experiment with different ISO and exposure settings?

[barrydoig]

I too am just over 80 and have been into amateur photography since I was 14yrs old. I gravitated to digital slowly, starting with scanning my slides. Then to a compact camera and now I own two Nikon dslrs. You have a lot of experience behind you so don't be intimidated by digital. You have two choices. Auto will cause your flash to pop up when the lighting requires it. That may be what you want. If not, put your camera on Program, not Auto, and set the ISO to Auto and just shoot away. Take plenty, 'film is cheap'. Meantime I suggest also you take time to read the manual. That may sound a bit patronising to an experienced photographer such as yourself, but believe me it's amazing how many of us put the manual in the 'too hard' basket.

[Dr Bob]

Lot's of good advise here. The only thing I can add is unlike the film days, you can shoot many pictures and sort out the good ones with minimal financial impact. Being this is an important event and you are new to digital photography I would say shoot first and sort your good shots later.

Good luck.

Dr Bob

[jcuknz]

I just love these guys pontificating about 'how weak the on-board flash is' ... which is mostly a load of rubbish based on hearsay from early digital days when it was correct and the profusion these days of powerful flash guns.

As one who happilly shot 100 ISO film with a Guide Number of 40 [ imperial] though usually 56 I have found my 'on-board' does a good job for the sort of shots I expect you to be wanting.

Your camera has a flash range of 9.4metres so should be perfectly adequate for candid shots at a pub gathering
That is not to say I am advocating the use of flash unless it is really needed and you could find the use of 6400 ISO AOK for shots to be displayed on computer screens if your Rebel is anything like my MFT G3 was when working in a tent at 2am [ 1/30 at f/5.8 ]




SOOC 'Mum waiting for her runner son' A 'record' shot not an exhibition print '
Key point here for a newcomer to digital is that editing is of equal importance as what we shoot.
We are free from the limitations of lab processing ... it is in our own hands these days.

Trust your camera to know what it is doing as suggested earlier.

[Pegger 3D]

IMO, there are several advantages of an external flash.

The 2 that come to mind for weddings/pubs/indoorse are:

1.You can adjust the strength of the flash.
2.You can bounce it off walls or ceilings.

Canon External Flashes will cost $120-$200 depending on the model. Usually the higher number of the model, the stronger the flash (range).

You can get slightly cheaper ones(Yongnuo=$90) that will work but it's a crap shoot if they will work well in TTL mode.
If you don't buy a Canon one, make sure you buy it somewhere that you can return it without a hassle.

I can't recommend a model because I am a Nikon user.
The SB-700 that I have can also be used remotely.

My 2 cents

[Pegger 3D]

PS:

THIS link has some reviews of some Canon models.

[William W]

Regarding the Pop Up Flash on the EOS 100D:

I just love these guys pontificating about 'how weak the on-board flash is' ... which is mostly a load of rubbish based on hearsay from early digital days when it was correct and the profusion these days of powerful flash guns . . . Your camera has a flash range of 9.4metres so should be perfectly adequate for candid shots at a pub gathering

There appears to have been only two ‘guys’ who mentioned the on board flash, of which Post #7 is one and that post was certainly not: ”pontificating about 'how weak the on-board flash is' ... which is mostly a load of rubbish based on hearsay from early digital days”.

Rather it was detailed advice predicated upon many thousands of hours, since 2004, using several models of Canon EOS Digital cameras.

*

For absolute clarity, accuracy of fact and archival integrity of this conversation:

1. According to the Manufacturer’s Specifications the Flash on a EOS 100D has a GN (Guide Number) 9.4m @ ISO 100.

2. In Intelligent Auto Mode and if the Flash is automatically enabled, the ISO will default and lock at ISO400, thus, GN = 19m @ ISO 400

3. The OP is using the EF-S 18 to 55 F/3.5 to 5.6 Lens.

[N.B. To compute the Maximum Working Distance of the Flash, we divide the GN by the Aperture used]

Therefore, if using Automatic Mode:

a) At FL = 18mm the Maximum Aperture will be F/3.5 and thus the Maximum Working Distance of the Pop up Flash will be 5.4mtrs.

b) at FL ≈ 38 and then to FL = 55mm the Maximum Aperture will be F/5.6 and thus the Maximum Working Distance of the Pop up Flash will be 3.4 mtrs.

c) Note that the Maximum Working Distance of the Flash does not necessarily mean that there will be a correct exposure attained at that distance for every lighting scenario.

d) However and this is the kicker is – (and this is where post #7 mentions ‘weak power of the Pop up Flash’) - my bold now for emphasis and bold and underlined for the critical element:

‘The Pop Up Flash is quite weak (power) and because the lighting in a pub is typically around EV6~9, the flash may not have enough power for a correct exposure as the KEY LIGHT. . . . Although I have not used an EOS 100, I do know that typically for EOS DSLR's “Intelligent Automatic Mode” and "FULL AUTO MODE" when shooting in medium to low light level and when the Pop Up Flash is not powerful enough to act as the KEY LIGHT, then the camera’s functionality will tend to use the flash as a FILL LIGHT and reduce the SHUTTER SPEED to increase the Ambient Exposure. This is something that I expect you won't want, because at a pub I guess the group will not be playing 'statues', so, if the flash is not powerful enough to adequately freeze SUBJECT MOTION the ability to make a Faster Shutter speed is more useful than being stuck with a slower Shutter Speed.

It is quite clear Post #7 links the mention of the "weak power" of the Pop up Flash to the potential problems associated with using the EOS 100D in Automatic Mode: and that is specifically why an SD of 8ft was suggested so as to always keep the Flash well with its power range to act as the KEY LIGHT.

***

Your camera has a flash range of 9.4metres

Does it? At What ISO and what Aperture does the Flash on the 100D have “range” of 9.4 metres?

1. With a GN = 9.4m @ ISO100, for the Pop up Flash to have a MAXIMUM Working Distance of 9.4mtrs when the lens is used at F/3.5 (@ FL =18mm) then the ISO would need to be manually set to about ISO 1600.

2. With a GN = 9.4m @ ISO100, for the Pop up Flash to have a MAXIMUM Working Distance of 9.4mtrs when the lens is used at F/5.6 (@ FL ≈38mm to 55mm) the ISO would need to be manually set to about ISO3200.

3. On an EOS 100D, the ISO can be manually set when the camera is only in one of the Creative Zone Modes and not any Basic Zone Mode- Automatic Mode is a basic zone mode.

4. Note again that the Maximum Working Distance of the Flash does not necessarily mean that there will be a correct exposure attained at that distance for every lighting scenario.

So, yes, the Pop up Flash could be used as the Key Light and the Subjects could be set at 9.4 mtrs,

HOWEVER - for safety to cover: all lighting scenarios; all Focal Lengths used on the Kit Lens; and to account for the possibility of the GN being exaggerated in the Technical Specifications - it would probably be best to set the ISO at ISO 4000 or a bit faster and shoot in M Mode.

Also note the ETTL Functionality at those increased shooting distances - it would be safe to ensure that there were no elements in the foreground of the scene which Pop up Flash might interpret as "the Subject" when the flash is working in E-TTL Mode, (when covering such large distances the chances of the Flash “seeing” a foreground element and the E-TTL interpreting that element as “the Subject” are more likely – the result is the Subject being underexposed) - or in this case set the Flash to Manual Mode and correct the power of the Flash to suit the Subject Distance.

*

However, it seemed the OP wanted a simple answer and also one which would be least likely to present problems in the quest to get well exposed images with the gear referenced – so - predicated on a reasonably sound understanding of the functionality of Canon EOS Digital and based on years of hand's on use of many Canon EOS cameras – it occurs to me that advice to use Auto Mode (with the Pop Up Flash) when the Subjects are about 8ft away is good advice and certainly it was NOT: "pontificating"; "nor a load of rubbish"; "nor based upon hearsay".

It would be interesting to know how many Canon EOS cameras John has actually used.

WW

[Pegger 3D]

Geez Guys,

All that technical Mumbo Jumbo!

This guy is an ancient geek like me. Why fill his remaining brain cells with all that technical crap?

Tom, Do several test shot ahead of time with the on board flash and if you think it works for you, go for it.

But my own experience is that an external flash has so much more to offer.

I have attached three pictures.









The guitar player and dancers I shot before I bought the SB-700. You can see how the on board flash does not reach far enough for the dancers.

The Santa Parade I took with the SB-700 and never would have been able to see the people that well from that distance with only the camera flash. It looks closer than it was because I cropped it.

My 2 cents.

[Manfred M]

Geez Guys,

All that technical Mumbo Jumbo!

This guy is an ancient geek like me. Why fill his remaining brain cells with all that technical crap?

Let me think about this for a second or two. Guy buys a new DSLR and the first suggestion is to shoot flash? There are a lot of people (including members here) that don't shoot flash because they have not mastered it. Getting someone who is learning the camera is going to have some issues without introducing this variable into the equation.

I can't think of any commercial photographers that I know who uses the built in flash for anything other than triggering slaves. Most photographers I know that do use on-camera flash pretty well all shoot some form of bounce, which means the flash head needs to rotate and you need a lot more power than the camera's built in flash. This includes some of the small flash modifieres out there; if you look at them, they direct some light but bounce the rest. Unless of course you like the harsh light, hard shadows and the red-eye the camera's pop-up flash often introduces.

The technical "crap" as you refer to it comes from a very experienced photographer who would fit the "ancient geek" description quite well. Bill knows what he is writing about and I have a lot of respect for his opinion; he still teaches photography so knows a lot about explaining the technical details. He was writing a response to post #14, as opposed to answering the original question. The information relayed in that particular response was something most flash photographers would agree with and I'm glad he got around to it before I responded to that post.

Old guys like me used to use GN to calculate the required aperture in the old days when flash units were quite unsophisticated and did little more than put our a burst of light that the photographer had to deal with manually (just like with studio flash, even today).

[William W]

Geez Guys, All that technical Mumbo Jumbo! This guy is an ancient geek like me. Why fill his remaining brain cells with all that technical crap? . . .

Already addressed as to why the detailed Post #17 was published: additionally please note the descriptive "crap" is not received kindly.

WW