OK. You just made the shift from a simple point and shoot camera to a very complicated Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera. Well do not be alarmed. The DSLR is a simple camera also. So you ask! “How do I get the shots the Pro’s get”? And this is the question I am going to answer for you. And yes you should use a tripod for all shots if it is allowed in the places you shoot in.

Auto Mode. Just like your simple point and shoot camera the DSLR also has an Auto Mode and this is your starting point, this is where your learning curve begins. When your new DSLR is in Auto Mode it will set all of the complicated things itself, like Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. Needless to say all of these things work together to create the image.

So when your camera takes the shot in Auto it will by default in the View Finder or on the Live View screen show you what settings it chose. Now you must study these figures and notice how they will change as the conditions change like when you are shooting in bright sun light and then move into the shade, or it gets cloudy the camera will adjust the settings to suit the lighting conditions.

You learn whilst taking these shots. Your new camera will take a reasonably good photo in Auto and I use it myself when I want to be sure to get the shot, then after I have the shot and my subject is still there I can get creative with the camera settings, like changing what is in focus and what is not.

And as you learn how these changes effect the picture you can start to make some changes your self by getting into the fully “Manual Mode”. There are lots of good educational tutorials about these various camera settings and how to use them to be found on the internet.

View Finder v Live View Screen. This is really your personal choice I used a View Finder for a very long time but as you get older you may find a Live View Screen is better on the eyes. And if you are like me and wear glasses to see the little things like spiders and bugs and other tiny things.

The Digital Live View capability allows you to see the shot you are about to take on the screen and in the view finder and you will be able to see in real time how the picture changes as you change the settings. As you change say the Shutter Speed the picture will get darker or lighter.

What Camera Should I Buy.  This is personal choice, but I shoot with the Sony system, namely my new Sony Alpha SLT-a77. I chose this camera because of the ‘Live View Screen’ and ‘Focus Check’ capability and it is the all new technology camera,  it is not a DSLR it is an TLT this stands for Transclucent Light Technology. A full review of this camera can be found by the link at the bottom of this page.

Why I Chose This Camera. Before getting this a77 I was shooting with the Sony full fame Alpha a850 I used this for 4 years and what a great camera. But it did not have Live View capability which I now love a lot, also the new ‘Focus Check’ ability is outstanding for anyone who may not have 20/20 vision. ‘Focus Check’ allows you to see your subject magnified on the screen and to see what areas are in focus. You can even choose to have the ‘In Focus’ areas light up with a color of your choice, awesome stuff indeed.

Photos Magnified. The in camera “Focus Check” allowed me to zoom right in on this tiny spider and I chose to have the face in focus this was shot at f4.5 with a 100mm macro prime lens. This spider by the way is almost to small to see with the naked eye it is less than 1/4 inch across. I could of chosen to have the very front leg in focus that you see is blurry here.

I also recommend a browser plugin called “Hover Zoom” it will magnify on screen images like my spider on mouse over. The link is for Chrome but it comes for other browsers also. Once you use it you will wonder how you ever managed without it.

Summary. Using technology to take better pictures is in no way cheating and it makes photography simpler and more enjoyable as you learn about the things your camera can do, the a77 also has full HD video capability, but as of writing this I have not used it, but it is there if I ever need it.

Remember to study your camera manual, lots of people do not do this, don’t be one of them, carry it with you and use it in the field until you learn about your camera. Go to your camera manufacturer’s website and download the manual so it is big enough to read on screen.

Sony Alpha a77 Review. (TLT) Translucent Light Technology.