Man, my D40 is here! I'm psyched!

[Joeytpg]

This camera rocks man!.....


I'll post some pics Soon.


I don't wanna use the P&S settings I wanna go directly to PSAM.......... I've been reading the manual. Any tips?

 

[M@lew]

Well if you know about Aperture + Shutter Speeds go nuts with P, S, A and M. Otherwise learn them and then you'll be ready.

 

[Abstract]

I say shoot on Manual for the first 3 times you go out with it. After that, you'll appreciate Aperture Priority more.

I've never used the "P" setting, as that seems exactly like Auto, except I think you have control over whether you use flash or not.

 

[anubis]

I think "P" lets you program in a specific set of parameters that you can then recall quickly. For example I have my "P" set to bulb, so whenever I want to do a bulb exposure, instead of having to flip through a bunch of menus I just set it to "P" and go.

 

[Renderz]

Congrats mate. Welcome to the creative world of DSLR. I'm hoping to see you get a flickr or smugmug account so we can see your shots! And don't be afraid to experiment, sometimes they can pay dividends.

 

[ChrisA]

I say shoot on Manual for the first 3 times you go out with it. After that, you'll appreciate Aperture Priority more.

I've never used the "P" setting, as that seems exactly like Auto, except I think you have control over whether you use flash or not.

P, Shutter and Aperture Priority are all basicaly the same. All three will cycle though the exact same shutter/Aperure settings. In S mode to control the shuter speed but the f-stop is set automatically and A mode the shutter is set to follow your f-stop andin P you choose between a set of paired settings. Either way you get to the exact same result.

Try it. Put the camera on a tripod aim it at a wall and see if the three mdes, A S and P dont give the exact same result.

If you want to have input to the meter you have to either use full manual or dial in some + or - level of EV compensation. Either of these are exactly the same. I typically use the P mode and the EV dial. It has the effect of manual but is quicker.
But on a camera with two control wheels full manual might be faster. I just use the EV dial as the second control wheel.

 

[ChrisA]

I think "P" lets you program in a specific set of parameters that you can then recall quickly. For example I have my "P" set to bulb, so whenever I want to do a bulb exposure, instead of having to flip through a bunch of menus I just set it to "P" and go.

Sorry, wrong. "P" lets you select from a set of shutter speed and aperture values that all have the same EV or "Exposure Value". I like "P". I'll go to shoot and notice the camera has selected a shutter speed I don't want so I can select a faster shutter and the "P" feature will adjust the aperture for me.

There is another mode that collects a bunch of settings for easy recal but Nikon has used "P" for "Program" from before the digital era and even in the pre-autofocus era. I think "P" showed up on Nikons in the early 1980's in something like the FE body but my memory is bad.

 

[wgilles]

Do yourself a favor and buy the Thom Hogan D40 guide! It will give you valuable information on your camera as well as the technology and technique. I have it for my D300 and it is amazing. If it seems a little daunting for you to take on, The D300s guide is almost 800 pages, so the D40 is probably around 600, I would pick up the D40 Field Guide. Here are links:

Thom's guide: http://www.bythom.com/d40guide.htm

Field Guide: http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D40x-Di...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220487431&sr=1-1

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Sorry, wrong. "P" lets you select from a set of shutter speed and aperture values that all have the same EV or "Exposure Value". I like "P". I'll go to shoot and notice the camera has selected a shutter speed I don't want so I can select a faster shutter and the "P" feature will adjust the aperture for me.

There is another mode that collects a bunch of settings for easy recal but Nikon has used "P" for "Program" from before the digital era and even in the pre-autofocus era. I think "P" showed up on Nikons in the early 1980's in something like the FE body but my memory is bad.

I think P is different from camera to camera. My XTi P is used as basically automatic mode, except you can shoot in RAW instead of jpeg, you can turn the flash on and off, you can control the ISO, and you can change the exposure (although it decides the shutter speed and the aperture)

 

[mrmayor92]

yeah i have a d40 too..

quality camera

 

[voxnj]

40D here!

 

[jhamerphoto]

Congrats, and welcome to the world of real cameras!

As opposed to what others say, I would recommend you shoot program mode (P) for the first while until you're used to the camera's controls. This way you won't miss any great opportunities by fiddling around with dials and menus. Worry about that after, just get basic functions down first. Word of advice though, always shoot in raw.

Happy shooting!

 

[mrgreen4242]

Kenrockwell.com also has a D40 guide. It's free/donation-ware. It's not so much a photography guide as it is a very readable manual for the D40 and all it's various modes, options, and controls. He also gives the "permanent" settings he uses. It looks pretty handy. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/users-guide/index.htm and it has a link to a downloadable/printable PDF version.

His How-to section is also very good.

 

[Abstract]

I think P is different from camera to camera. My XTi P is used as basically automatic mode, except you can shoot in RAW instead of jpeg, you can turn the flash on and off, you can control the ISO, and you can change the exposure (although it decides the shutter speed and the aperture)

Well if what ChrisA describes is also true, then yes, I guess it does vary by camera. My friend, a camera user, told me that on his Canon, using P is like using AUTO, except that on AUTO, his flash would keep popping up when the camera feels that it needs to use flash. On P, it won't. You still need to control some things, but it's not like A or S where you need to control shutter or aperture.

I had assumed it was the same on my Nikon, but I'm probably wrong. I use Aperture priority all the time, and have been doing so for years. When I need flash, I pop it up myself, and when I need exposure compensation, I select that. If I'm not misunderstanding ChrisA, P mode is kind of like having Aperture and Shutter priority at the same time. If you change the Aperture, the shutter speed changes accordingly. If you change the shutter speed, the aperture changes accordingly. In A mode, if you change the Aperture, the shutter changes accordingly. However, if you try to change the shutter speed, nothing happens. You can say the same about Shutter Priority with regards to the aperture. If you try to change it, then nothing happens.