DSLR News

This quick tutorial from photographer Simon d'Entremont begins with a question: "Have you either wondered how spot metering works in your camera, or tried it and got inconsistent results like blown highlights or crushed shadows? If so, you've come to the right place.

So you just purchased a new camera and it's time to undertake the task of configuring it properly to suit your particular style of shooting so you "can grab the most out of the sensor." As a Shutterbug reader you've no doubt done this before and know that the menu contains of myriad of default settings you may want to change.

One of the first challenges faced by inexperienced photographers is arriving at a correct exposure, and this can be particularly difficult when shooting outdoor scenes full  of bright highlights and deep shadows. This tutorial explains how to take advantage of a simple camera setting that enables you to control the brightness of an image by instantly increasing or decreasing exposure.

We've been exploring a variety of exposure modes over the past month, explaining the benefits of Shutter Priority for avoiding camera and subject movement, how to use Scene modes in unfamiliar situations, and why one pro says, "Forget Manual Mode and use Priority instead."

Most experienced photographers turn up their noses at the Program exposure mode, preferring to shoot in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or Manual. But as you'll see in this quick video from the Great Big Photography World channel, there are situations under which this "beginner" mode makes total sense—even if you have advanced skills.

Unless you're shooting with a full-frame camera, crop factor is an important issue in a variety of ways. And to complicate matters, there are a variety of crop factors to consider, whether you're using an APS-C model, a high-end compact, a superzoom camera, or a pocket camera of various types.

Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and other top-tier camera and lens makers offer refurbished products directly to end users via special pages on their website. You can save some dough, but do you want to own a renewed product? Let's unpack this…