But the point is that it is a bad starting point. Knowing that a certain image was taken with a certain ISO, shutter speed and aperture tells you next to nothing useful if you are not there when the picture is taken.

You cannot see how the light was at the time. You cannot see how close or far away the camera was to the subject.

How on earth would you know if you should replicate the settings if you were not there to see the situation in the first place?

Beginners need to understand that ISO, aperture and shutter speed functions as one combination to get you your exposure level and DOF.

If you want more DOF then stop down the aperture but they should understand that stopping down the aperture will result in the shutter speed becoming longer to achieve the same level of exposure. If they want the shutter speed to remain unchanged, then they will have to bump up their ISO.

How in the world would numbers in the EXIF data teach anyone that?

cant agree more~ thats why even the pro will tell the beginner to keep shooting and u will learn~ no other easy way~ even pro will learn from their everyday shooting to improve~

shootkk-san, somehow exif also can help the new user to understand about technical thingy.. its not a bad starting point from my POV, when i was new to dslr i always want to see the exif, i want to get some idea how to setting this n that.. its about learning process, somehow if we can see the numbers at exif we can get some rough idea, not totally copy the setting from others because yes ur rite back then about we will not be in the same situation like when the original picture was taken.

@shotkk
nice shot..but its always good to clone distractions away..

damn it la..make me more and more want to get the CPL...

@ier
nice poison bro

MechaHerc : I understand that different people learn in different ways but I just want to shake the misconception that EXIF data is some kind of holy grail to getting good pics.

How many times have you seen people asking for the EXIF when they see a good pic posted? Too many times to keep count, right? It's unbelievable how easily the misconception gets perpetuated. LOL

For starters, beginners should read their cam's manual. Then they should go do some research into terms like aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Then they should go out there and experiment for themselves.

Do you know how I learnt about those 3 settings? I tried to freeze the water movements of a fountain. So there I was out there in the sun, camera set to M mode and shooting repeatedly at this fountain spraying water out like there's no tomorrow.

I knew the theory behind the 3 settings but until I saw with my own eyes how increasing the shutter speed gradually produced more and more underexposed pictures with the other 2 settings remaining constant, the theory did not really set in.

I never did get the result I wanted that day. Never did freeze the water into perfect droplets but I walked away so much clearer on the concept of how shutter speed, aperture and ISO worked together and I didn't even know what EXIF data was at that point.

lwliam: It's always AF-A, AF-C, AF-S or MF. However the A100/A700/A850/A900 allow you to change AF-A to DMF.

ieR: Congratulations!

Banzai_san: The only time I ask for EXIF is to find out why somebody is complaining about soft/blur pictures.

albert: alright, got it...

Zstan: offer's still valid..

eh...bring my DSLR to the sea will make it spoil easily?..due to the high humidity...any advice ?..how to protect it?

dun change ur lens when facing the sea..the wind might blow air containing small particles of NaCl and other 'dust' into ur camera..

use a filter to protect ur front element..

last but not least...

dun drop ur slr into the sea..

composition, lighting etc are subjective to me.. hard to measure..
i would just assume the pic taken was in the daylight and in the normal situation not at night or totally out of sight..

i saw his using iso 800.. so i can just assume it's a late evening or early morning then..
how can i measure the sunlight @ that time there..

so those 3 figures would give more benefit for my brain to interpret..

i would just say the result..
can get the similar result with a different ways of path..
i'm not to techy just for hobby..

since u only have your kitlens, stick it in there and dont remove it... thats all.. if get splashed with small amounts of water, just run a damp cloth over it.

want to add..better wipe it CLEAN...if got residue left the salt will slowly eat ur camera..

---

Added on May 19, 2010, 5:12 pmhow long have u use ur SLR?

play at least one year..if u still can't get it...then ask us again..=)

This post has been edited by zstan: May 19 2010, 05:12 PM

wrap with 2 layers of food grade plastic with ziplock, sealed with cellophane tape at all seams... then camera 100% safe from water, even fall into sea also won't sink.

this one is when standing under a heavy downpour la...

thanks to everyone

btw, bout the exif thingie, dont be so share, this is sharing community, we suppose to share and do our best to help the new one...

asking for EXIF is Not Wrong. it doesnt mean one will follow blindly. he may use it as a guideline (i know i do, and i still ask for exif!) please dont be harsh to people who seek exif.

to me, asking for exif, its like, (YES) a shortcut... and i agree upon using it, u see, normally, a person will waste 1k of shuttle count until they figure which aperture to use when shooting at a certain distance of close up vs subject size, but the EXIF cut down the shutter count by 10 times to 100 shoot until u get the experience to know the excate setting + what that aperture # does.

metaphor: its the same like sending ur kids to tuition, tuition do not make ur kids smarter, tuition help to make learning easier and quicker. same as EXIF, or seminar or course for photography, and FORUMS.

if u are still agaisnt asking for exif, mean u do not like sending ur kids to tuition (kidding)

be nice, play nice i love this community.

under the rain, i use a shower cap taken from hotels laaaaa...



This post has been edited by lwliam: May 19 2010, 05:20 PM

NEVER EVER use AF at the beach. All the focusing will generates a mini suction force that will suck in all those tiny sands. And unlike prince of persia s' forgotten sand , the sand here sucks. Learn it the hard way on my first day at Langkawi beach Somehow even when i'am in the middle of the sea its still can suck some dirt (no idea where it come) . So scared to AF. MF all the way.

for those what wan backfire me, save it, i am explaining to him only.

hi 8tvt,

the iso800 is triggered,

i. he zoomed to max, let it be 55mm kitlens ot 70mm oldkitlens or 80mm cz, the min shutter speed will not be less then 1/60
ii. as long as the iso can be auto-bump before it maxed out at the default setting (1600 for A550)
iii. orchid hates direct sun whole day, assume its under a big shade, F5.6 is dark under shade.

some new info for u to interpret.

seriously?..using MF for shooting fast thing is not so convenient..lol..sumore not using tripod...like for shooting ppl in action, when playing..etc..

wow, good idea! why i never think of that??? hahah hotel shower cap is packed so small, easy to carry