i want to learn to shoot with manual mode from beginning.. i just bought canon a720IS... it's cheap enough but it has plenty of features (manual setting) , is it good enough for the beginer like me ?
yes, it is a good ps camera to begin with. learn to use AV mode. most important thing to learn. focus lock, exposure lock. stable hand while pressing shutter button. use of tripod. 1. take as many photos as possible 2. as many type of photos as possible; landscape, close-up, people etc 3. view your photos, keep in mind the good ones, learn from the mistakes... #may post some here for comments..........
Actually, in my opinion, Av mode doesn't quite cut it for shooting badminton in low-light conditions. If you'd like to dabble into Manual, make sure you take care of a few things. Shutter Speed Very important as badminton is fast, relatively to a lot of sports, especially if you want to capture the shuttlecock. Set your aperture to the lowest possible. Lighting Most badminton arenas are dark and hence need a higher ISO (I use 1600 with the 40D, but for prosumers, keep it to 800 and below). You can also set + for exposure compensation if it's too dark. White Balance You will most probably find that your photo turns out in a weird tone in most badminton arenas. That's because of fluorescent lighting. You should turn it to fluorescent lighting mode. Apart from these technicals, the most important thing in sports photography is anticipation. Do not wait for the action to enter your frame to press the shutter, you will be too slow. Anticipate it and press your shutter a second or two before the action. You can only anticipate accurately if you practice. Good luck!