I picked up a Canon SX-20 IS several months back, but due to a variety of reasons, I’d not really taken it out yet and started shooting pictures with it. Nor have I done much digital photography using manual settings, so today I set out to remedy that. I’m a complete novice when it comes to fully understanding aperture, shutter speed and ISO speeds, but I’m determined to learn. So far the Canon SX-20 seems to be the perfect place to start. With that said, this is by no means a review of the camera as I’m completely not qualified to comment on what is right or wrong with the camera. I chose it based on feedback from a couple of amateur photographers whose knowledge of photography I respect. They both had the SX-10, and based on the features and cost, the SX-20 seemed not to be too far from what the SX-10 offered.
Today I primarily tried to just get used to adjusting the f-stop and shutter speed to get a good balance. I primarily stuck with 400 and 800 for ISO. Having never used a digital camera to adjust these settings, it certainly seemed like a good starting point for getting familiar with the controls. All and all, by the end of the walk along the board walk at Lettuce Lake Park, I was feeling fairly comfortable with the controls and adjusting the two settings. I’m still getting familiar with finding objects in the viewer when trying to locate a specific object (like a certain flower or the Cuban Yellow Warbler). Certainly something with practice I’m sure I’ll get the hang of. I also need to pay more attention to my light source, but for having not picked up the camera in several months, I think I got a few good picks, which is probably more of a testament of the camera than my abilities at this point. I am however confident that this camera will be a great learning tool as well as have the ability to capture some nice images. Now I can’t wait to read up a little more on balancing ISO with shutter speed and f-stop, as well as just get out and take more pictures. Next time I’m thinking about a more urban setting like Ybor.
You can view a few more from the set of pics I took today.
Note: These are completely untouched with any post processing. I really want to see the original image so as to compare as I continue to learn.
