Hey guys I stumbled across this on another forum. I found it really helpful so I thought I'd share. It an explanation of the basics of a DSLR and some scenarios for taking pics. Hope this can be a help to someone. This write up was done by DCR-5 on thespeedlounge.com Part 1 is below and Part 2 can be seen on page 2
This is what I dont get...if you have a fast lens, lets say f/1.8 and you're taking a picture in sorta low light conditions, why would some people bump it up to f/5 to take a pic? That means you would have to have a slower shutter speed and higher iso? Ideally, dont you want a the lens wide opened so that you dont have to have a slower shutter speed? I think I confused myself.
depends on the photographer and what picture he/she wants to take. if there's 2 objects and he/she wants to focus on one but the other has some kind of focus on the other, maybe that's why?
Exactly, for the longer DOF in the image. Shooting at 1.8 is only awesome if all the subjects are on the same focal plain. Also, between f/8 and f/11 is where you will get the MOST clarity and sharpness in the image.