How good are the auto functions on dslrs?

iainl7

Understanding the exposure triangle is very, very useful. But that's partly because they allow you to give the Auto settings (which are generally fairly reasonable) a bit of help. They make assumptions about what you're trying to photograph - so they try to make most of the image roughly middling brightness, and the nearest thing in front of the camera is the item you're trying to focus on, for example. So snow will end up grey rather than white, or a black car gets overexposed to grey. Knowing when to dial in a bit of compensation can be a shot-saver.

Of course, when churches don't run away and you're instantly able to see the result of your bad shot, you can more easily try again and get something better.

snerkler

In which case I would certainly not recommend using auto modes. Also, as mentioned already you don't need a DSLR for this, other formats cam provide just as good results assuming a tripod is used in the low light areas to keep ISO down (high ISO's degrade images). That being said if you had say an olympus (micro four thirds system) with their fantastic IBIS (in body image stabilisation) you can handhold shots up to around 2 seconds in which case a tripod probably isn't necessary. Also, the micro four thirds is generally a much smaller system and the weight saving can be a godsend.

Also, for the record all DSLRs are not equal and some are much better in low light scenarios. There are APS-C DSLRs and full frame DSLRs, FF are generally better at handling low light but are expensive (comparing same age tech) and heavy, plus the lenses are also bigger and heavier (like for like).

globispica

My word, I can see there's a lot to take on board.  And how much you guys know!  I think I'll get intrigued with things like triangularity when I start to delve into them, and, if I struggle a bit, that would be good for the old brain.
I'm going to delay buying anything for a while, certainly until my arrow of direction is pointing in the right way.  Then I'll come back here and start asking the right questions.  Don't go away.  Look at this thread in about 3 weeks to see where I am.
Many thanks to you all.

snerkler

There is a hell of a lot to learn with photography, however learning the exposure triangle and the relationship between ISO, Aperture and Shutter isn't that taxing to get the basic idea and it will help immensely, you can then learn the rest as you go.

Understanding ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture - A Beginner's Guide
Understanding ISO for Beginners - Photography Basics
Understanding Aperture - A Beginner's Guide
Understanding Shutter Speed for Beginners - Photography Basics